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 ( def ).
5. Usually futures. Stock Exchange. 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. in future
   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

Derived Forms

• ˈfutureless, 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

The government said decisions about the building's future were up to its owner.

From BBC

She has deflected recent questions about her future, saying this week: "I don't really have my mindset on that".

From BBC

"It opens the door to developing tools for analyzing spatial data and informs the design of future studies on the small and large intestine."

From Science Daily

While Trump predicted a "wonderful future" for Gaetz, a question mark hangs over what he will do next.

From BBC

They anticipate that in the future, AI will facilitate the matching of these sherds based on their shapes.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• destiny
• fate
• millennium
• outlook
• prospect