upcoming
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does upcoming mean? Upcoming is used to describe something that is scheduled or expected to happen or to be presented or released in the near future. A close synonym is forthcoming. Upcoming is most often used to describe events that will happen soon, like a wedding or an election, or things that will be released soon, such as an album, movie, or new product. The term typically implies that the event will happen or the thing will arrive relatively soon, such as within a few weeks or months or within a year or so. The farther away something is, the less likely you’d be to describe it as upcoming. You also probably wouldn’t use the word for something happening tomorrow. Upcoming should not be confused with the similar-sounding term up-and-coming, which means successful and likely to become more successful. Example: There is a lot of buzz around the up-and-coming band’s upcoming album that will be released in the spring.
Etymology
Origin of upcoming
Explanation
Upcoming means happening soon. If you've always wanted a surprise party, you might drop hints to your friends about your upcoming birthday. The adjective upcoming was first used in the 19th century to mean "rising," but its meaning changed to "forthcoming" or "imminent" by the mid-20th century. If you'll vote next month, you might talk about the upcoming election, and your little sister might be excited about your upcoming family trip to Disney World. Whenever you find yourself thinking of an event that's coming up, it's upcoming!
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.
The 35-person board led by Casey Wasserman, who was recently under heat for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, is meant to help plan and execute the upcoming Olympic Games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
In turn, Nvidia—which is an investor in several AI companies, including OpenAI—is in talks to invest in Anthropic through its upcoming IPO, according to a recent Reuters report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the revenue opportunity related to Nvidia’s upcoming Rubin GPUs.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Fast-forward two months, however, and the messaging is rather different ahead of the four upcoming Nations League games.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The upcoming 2012 Olympics were even being mentioned in my presence.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
