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wave of the future

American  

noun

  1. a trend or development that may influence or become a significant part of the future.

    Computerization is the wave of the future.


Etymology

Origin of wave of the future

Phrase popularized as the title of an essay (1940) by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Yet such prosecutions may be the wave of the future.

From Slate Mar. 5, 2026

“If we won, you would all be saying that our style is the wave of the future in the NBA,” Mr. Erving said after the game.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 12, 2026

“I hate to think it’s the wave of the future — corporate giants that can’t be toppled,” frontman Eddie Vedder told a Chicago audience days later.

From Los Angeles Times May 23, 2024

As the war in Ukraine has amply shown, drone warfare isn’t the wave of the future; it’s the wave of now.

From Washington Post Oct. 16, 2022

Jefferson had thought that France was the wave of the future and England was a relic of the past.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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