pro forma

American  

[proh fawr-muh] / proʊ ˈfɔr mə /

Also proforma

adjective

1. according to form; as a matter of form; for the sake of form.

2. Commerce. provided in advance of shipment and merely showing the description and quantity of goods shipped without terms of payment.

   a pro forma invoice.

3. Accounting. indicating hypothetical financial figures based on previous business operations for estimate purposes.

   a pro forma balance sheet.

---

adverb

1. as a matter of form.

   Many of the school assignments appear to be done pro forma.

noun

plural

pro forma, pro formas

1. a pro forma document.

pro forma British  

/ ˈprəʊ ˈfɔːmə /

adjective

1. prescribing a set form or procedure

---

adverb

1. performed in a set manner

pro forma Cultural  

1. Doing something pro forma means satisfying only the minimum requirements of a task and doing it in a perfunctory way: “Her welcoming address was strictly pro forma: you could tell that her mind was a million miles away.” From Latin, meaning “by form.”

---

Etymology

Origin of pro forma

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin prō formā

Example Sentences

During an appearance at the Mobile World Congress, Carr suggested the Paramount-Warner deal could be swiftly approved because the foreign investment would warrant only a “very quick, almost pro forma review,” Carr reportedly said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Nathanson said in his note that, on a pro forma basis, the combined 2025 revenue of Paramount and Warner Bros. would have come in on top at $66.2 billion.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

There are some pro forma jokes about the sensitivities of the young, with Greg getting into not-very-hot water over misunderstood references to “white whale” and the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

“The pro forma market cap, inventory, balance sheet, reinvestment rate, trading multiple, and a host of other metrics all are among the best in the peer group,” he wrote.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

But once again the doom and gloom was mostly pro forma.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• formal