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Definition of "pro forma" [pro forma]

  • Done as a formality; perfunctory. (adjective)
  • Provided in advance so as to prescribe form or describe items: a pro forma copy of a document. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "pro forma" in a sentence
  • "After the election, Lake only had a pro forma conversation with Clinton about the job; he was basically expected to continue the pattern of the campaignkeeping Clinton informed but otherwise taking care of the problems that were out there."
  • "It means a man hired for the purpose who marries pro forma and after wedding, and bedding with actual-consummation, at once divorces the woman."
  • "But while the Joint Chiefs of Staff JCS gave the plan pro forma approval after the president asked them to review it, neither Kennedy nor Bundy demanded a thorough, serious analysis of whether it was militarily feasible, and whether it was likely to trigger the sort of strong anti-Castro action within Cuba upon which its success would ultimately depend."
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