The terms former and latter are words used to distinguish between two things. Former directs us to the first of these two things, and latter directs us to the second (or last) of them. Do not use former or latter when you are writing about more than two things.

How do you use former in a sentence?

Former sentence example
She felt too bad for the former goddess to walk away. Prince Vasili, who still occupied his former important posts, formed a connecting link between these two circles. I’m a former deity. How sick was the man who kept his former enemy as a slave?

What is an example of former?

The definition of former is something that happened in the past or a previously held role. An example of former is a person who was once a policeman but is now retired. An example of former is the first thing mentioned in a serious of items.

: the first one of two things or people that have been mentioned Of these two options, the former is less expensive, while the latter is less risky. If offered a choice between death and exile, he said that he would choose the former.