Showing results for "future"

• a variation of future tense.

future

American  

[fyoo-cher] / ˈfju tʃər /

noun

• futures
  plural

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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

future Idioms  

1. see in the near future.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• futureless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• futures
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of future

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” ( see essence ( def. )); akin to Welsh bod “to be” ( see eisteddfod ( def. ))

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Explanation

A time that hasn’t happened yet is the future. You're reading this in the present, and what you read by clicking on the link for the next screen will happen in the future, i.e., in the time ahead. Future goes back to the Latin root futūrus "about to be," and it is a noun or an adjective referring to things to come. When we hope, we are often imagining what will happen in the future. You might dream of becoming a doctor in the future, or you're looking forward to the weekend, just days away but still in the future. Now is the present, yesterday is the past, and tomorrow is the future, the opposite of the past.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

future futures

Zuckerberg - who has a $226bn fortune according to Forbes' billionaires tracker - had told Meta's board that it was his intention to remain with the firm for "the foreseeable future".

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Meta Platforms shares fell 7% after the company disclosed additional billions of dollars in future spending commitments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

That trend, he said, is one of the biggest future growth drivers for the baby-care space writ large, and it’s already taking shape worldwide.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

The New England Patriots’ Mike Vrabel, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Sirianni and the New York Jets’ Aaron Glenn were hit with the fines, which were put into abeyance pending future interaction with officials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Its purpose was to show the Glitcher what their actions could cause in the future.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Gold futures fell 1% in New York to hover above $4,100 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

And while coffee futures have fallen this year, more than half of coffee roasters surveyed say they plan to raise prices next year, writes Myra Saefong.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

I want to find out how fair AI recruitment tools being used to help decide our futures really are - and what happens when we click "apply".

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

S&P 500 futures also fell sharply—down 1%—while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.6%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

“We’re doomed. Absolutely, positively doomed. Our lives are over. Our futures are ruined. We’ll only ever be able to get tier-one jobs in Uhuru.”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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Related Words

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

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