future

[ fyoo-cher ]
See synonyms for future on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. a condition, especially of success or failure, to come: An oracle had predicted the mighty hero's tragic future.

  2. Grammar. future tense.

  3. 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.

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

Origin of future

1
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 ); akin to Welsh bod “to be” (see eisteddfod )

Words Nearby future

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use future in a sentence

  • And as she hesitated between obedience to one and duty toward the other, her life, her love and future was in the balance.

    The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
  • The poor must look to the brightness of a future world for the consolation that they were denied in this.

  • In future years the poor-rate (so-called) will include, in addition to these, all other rates levyable by the Corporation.

    Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
  • She embraced Otteline; and gave him her hand to kiss, with repeated expressions of future confidence in the husband of her friend.

  • In his childlike, impulsive fashion he had not thought of the future when he adopted Jean.

British Dictionary definitions for future

future

/ (ˈfjuːtʃə) /


noun
  1. the time yet to come

  2. undetermined events that will occur in that time

  1. the condition of a person or thing at a later date: the future of the school is undecided

  2. likelihood of later improvement or advancement: he has a future as a singer

  3. grammar

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

    • a verb in this tense

  4. in future from now on; henceforth

adjective
  1. that is yet to come or be

  2. of or expressing time yet to come

  1. (prenominal) destined to become: a future president

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

Origin of future

1
C14: from Latin fūtūrus about to be, from esse to be

Derived forms of future

  • futureless, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with future

future

see in the near future.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.