future
/ˈfjuːtʃə
/noun
1 (usually the future) A period of time following the moment of speaking or writing; time regarded as still to come: we plan on getting married in the near future work on the building will be shelved for the foreseeable future...
- It is difficult to envision a plan for the future without visiting moments from the past.
- Draw your own conclusions as to what the future holds once the Government legalises cannabis, which it will.
- No, awful as that picture is, it is just a snapshot of a moment in the near future.
Synonyms
time to come, time ahead;
what lay/lies ahead, coming times;
the fullness of time
formal hereafter
1.1Events that will or are likely to happen in time to come: nobody can predict the future...
- The technician as such has the benefit of hindsight to predict the future.
- Telecoms analysts, after all, have not recently shown a particularly sound ability to predict the future.
- In fact, predicting the future of music is more difficult than ever.
1.2The likely prospects for or fate of someone or something in time to come: MPs will debate the future of the railways...
- He still has a bright future ahead of him and is expected to put up a better performance next year.
- It was the kind of shot that also convinces Westwood of the bright future that may lie ahead for the youngster.
- While coming out on the wrong side of the score line today Swinford looks to have a very bright future ahead.
Synonyms
destiny, fate, fortune, doom;
prospects, expectations, chances, likely success/advancement/improvement
1.3A prospect of success or happiness: he’d decided that there was no future in the gang I began to believe I might have a future as an artist...
- Each of the several million Japanese who died in war had families and futures.
- A cleaner energy future beckons - now is the time to deliver.
1.4 Grammar A tense expressing an action that has not yet happened.
2 (futures) Finance Contracts for assets (especially commodities or shares) bought at agreed prices but delivered and paid for later. Compare with forward (sense 2 of the noun).This involves buying and selling futures or options on shares, bonds or currencies....
- Then as soon as the cash market closed, the S&P futures made a new low for the session.
- These banks can deal in futures and options so that they can manage price risks.
adjective [attributive]
1At a later time; going or likely to happen or exist: the needs of future generations...
- Judgements of national interest require prudence, and some concern for the likely trend of future events.
- The future use is likely to be a small-scale residential development.
- It follows a study into the suitability of the buildings and the likely future demand for family services across the city.
Synonyms
later, following, ensuing, succeeding, subsequent, upcoming, to come, coming
1.1(Of a person) planned or destined to hold a specified position: his future wife...
- It has been suggested that his Pitt biography is part of a grand publicity plan to jockey back into position as a future leader.
- In truth it is Davis himself who has been under suspicion for positioning himself as a future leader.
- The agency, however, has been planned to have a movie producer as the future owner of Boyana Film.
Synonyms
destined, intended, planned, to be, prospective, expected, anticipated
1.2Existing after death: heaven and the future life with Christ
1.3 Grammar (Of a tense) expressing an action that has not yet happened.Traditionally, the simple future tense is will or shall followed by the infinitive: will follow....
- Expletive null subjects, for example, can occur freely in the past, present, and future tenses.
- If the question is framed in the future tense, then I understand what conversation we are having.
Phrases
for future reference
in future
Origin
Late Middle English: via Old French from Latin futurus, future participle of esse 'be' (from the stem fu-, ultimately from a base meaning 'grow, become').