forming
v.v. to make something start to exist or take a specific shape. You use this when parts come together to create a whole group or object.
v. to bring into existence by shaping or combining parts; to give a particular shape or configuration to something. Transitive in most contexts, though it can function intransitively when a group or shape begins to emerge.
The students are forming a circle for the game.
Clouds are forming in the distance, suggesting that a storm might arrive by late afternoon.
By forming a strategic alliance with their primary competitors, the firm managed to stabilise the market and prevent a further decline in share prices during the recession.
The verb is transitive when an agent creates the shape, and intransitive when the shape appears naturally.