future

[fyoo-cher]

noun

1. time that will be or come after the present.

   In the future, the fines for these infractions may be much greater.

2. something that will exist or happen in time to come.

   The future is rooted in the past.

3. a condition, especially of success or failure, to come.

   An oracle had predicted the mighty hero's tragic future.

4. Grammar.,  future tense.

5. Stock Exchange.,  Usually futures. speculative purchases or sales of commodities to be received or delivered later on.

adjective

1. coming or happening after the present time.

   All these decisions are uncertain, as they depend on future events.

   On some future day when you are least expecting it, I will return.

2. relating to or connected with time to come.

   I’m afraid my future plans are already made, and they don’t include farming.

3. Grammar.,  designating a tense or other verb construction that refers to events or states happening after the present time.

future

/ ˈfjuːtʃə /

noun

1. the time yet to come

2. undetermined events that will occur in that time

3. the condition of a person or thing at a later date

   the future of the school is undecided

4. likelihood of later improvement or advancement

   he has a future as a singer

5. grammar

   1. a tense of verbs used when the action or event described is to occur after the time of utterance

   2. a verb in this tense

6. from now on; henceforth

adjective

1. that is yet to come or be

2. of or expressing time yet to come

3. (prenominal) destined to become

   a future president

4. grammar in or denoting the future as a tense of verbs

Other Word Forms

• futureless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of future¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English futur, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin fūtūrus “about to be, going to be,” future participle of esse “to be” ( essence ( def. ) ); akin to Welsh bod “to be” ( eisteddfod ( def. ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of future¹

C14: from Latin fūtūrus about to be, from esse to be

Idioms and Phrases

see in the near future.

Example Sentences

This paragraph explicitly says the war is over, which sets the scene for future discussions on later stages of the president's plan for Gaza.

Read more on BBC

“We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses, and expect that we will not generate revenue, for the foreseeable future,” the company said in a regulatory filing.

Read more on Barron's

Growing up around his father’s law office, he became a messenger boy in the state Senate, where he met Gov. Earl Warren, the future chief justice.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“No matter what happens, we support Greenland in determining its own future. And we will not be threatened or intimidated into doing something that is clearly wrong,” Frederiksen said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“This remains an ongoing effort. Plans are already under way to reunify more children in the immediate future. I hope peace will come soon.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• eventual 
• forthcoming 
• imminent 
• impending 
• planned 
• prospective 
• subsequent 
• ultimate