pro forma

adjective

pro for·​ma (ˌ)prō-ˈfȯr-mə 

1

: made or carried out in a perfunctory manner or as a formality

2

: based on financial assumptions or projections: such as

a

: reflecting a transaction (such as a merger) or other development as if it had been or will be in effect for a past or future period

a pro forma balance sheet

b

: excluding usually extraordinary charges or expenses (as from acquisitions, restructuring, or the write-down of goodwill) often in order to present a more attractive financial report

pro forma income

Did you know?

A lot of things are done for the sake of appearances. A teacher might get officially observed and evaluated every three years, even though everyone knows she's terrific and the whole thing is strictly pro forma. A critic might say that an orchestral conductor gave a pro forma performance, since his heart wasn't in it. A business owner might make a pro forma appearance at the funeral of a politician's mother, never having met her but maybe hoping for a favor from her son sometime in the future. In business, pro forma has some special meanings; a pro forma invoice, for example, will list all the items being sent but, unlike a true invoice, won't be an actual bill.

Examples of pro forma in a Sentence

The meeting was strictly pro forma, since the decision had already been made.

Recent Examples on the Web

Congress is not in session, but the House is scheduled to meet for a brief pro forma session at 5 p.m. —Yash Roy, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

This is why running a solid pro forma is necessary for your investing business to be successful. —Brenna Carles, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

For the period, Garmin posted pro forma earnings of $1.99 per share on $1.59 billion in revenue. —Sean Conlon, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024

Additionally, the production profile of the Assets are highly complementary to the Company's existing portfolio and operational strategy, with low annual production declines of ~9% per year that result in an unchanged consolidated decline rate, pro forma for the Acquisition. —Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, for form

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

pro forma

adjective

pro for·​ma prō-ˈfȯr-mə 

1

: made or carried out in a perfunctory manner or as a formality

2

: provided or made in advance to describe items or projections

a pro forma invoice

Etymology

Latin, for the sake of form