1
: that is to be
specifically
: existing after death
On religion (by which he chiefly means Christianity), [philosopher Michael] Oakeshott is subtle. … He deprecates the doctrine of a future life, not as being impossible, but because it distracts people from the unique importance of the life they have. —
Charles Moore
Charles Moore 2
: of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense expressive of time yet to come
a verb in the future tense
"will" and "shall" are used as future auxiliaries
3
: existing or occurring at a later time
We cannot foretell future events.
… the chance meeting one day of your future spouse …—Robert W. Lucky
Robert W. Lucky1
a
: time that is to come
b
: what is going to happen
2
: an expectation of advancement or progressive development
3
: something (such as a bulk commodity) bought for future acceptance or sold for future delivery
—usually used in plural
grain futures
4
a
: the future tense of a language
b
: a verb form in the future tense
Synonyms
Examples of future in a Sentence
Adjective
We cannot predict future events.
Future generations will benefit from this research.
Noun
We're making plans for the future.
They will hire more people sometime in the future.
What do you think you will be doing in the future?
What does the future hold for you?
It's impossible to predict the future.
The company faces an uncertain future.
The future was already decided for her.
Recent Examples on the WebIan Griffiths, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
At least 25 have fully legalized recreational use, and more are either in the process or have future voting on the books.
—USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Words of affirmation certainly included giving a future green light to Mayo, who hit 46.6% of his shots this past season for the Jackrabbits (22-13).
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
This can also impact future relationships and the way in which the child learns how to relate to or depend on others.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 20 Apr. 2024
These stem cells were active long after the initial infection, even after levels of fungal antibodies and neutrophils had died down—essentially priming the body to respond dramatically to a future fungal threat.
—Maggie Chen, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
New hotels that have already been approved or are in development won’t be affected, but all future properties will have to face the ban.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2024
The letter also warned that turning over the recordings could have a chilling effect on future attempts by the Justice Department to interview other high-profile people or officials for sensitive investigations.
—Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The group is focused on building a vehicle that will allow Artemis astronauts to safely navigate the lunar surface to conduct experiments and prepare the Moon for future human missions to Mars, according to a press release.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Maanvi Singh, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
The Heat hopes to keep its season going even while knowing Butler won’t be available for the foreseeable future.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Beyond Autopia, Disney has an opportunity to promote that kind of future in Tomorrowland.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But now, executives across Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. and Samsung SDS will be expected to work an extra day, with its financial services arms of the business expected to follow suit in the near future.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
The new lunar time zone, Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC), is all about ensuring the success of future, multinational missions to the moon, said Michelle Hanlon, the executive director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi.
—Kai McNamee, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The ultra-low-cost airline has been facing questions about its future after losing money in the past six quarters despite booming travel demand.
—Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Rihanna is a mother of two, but that number could be increasing in the near future.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
The developer behind Solé Mia sees a bright future ahead for Miami.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Ridership was stagnant prior to the pandemic, and is now at about 70% of pre-pandemic levels — one of the weakest recoveries in the nation — creating a financial crisis for Bay Area transit agencies that threaten a future downward spiral of cuts.
—Ian Griffiths, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024
At least 25 have fully legalized recreational use, and more are either in the process or have future voting on the books.
—USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Words of affirmation certainly included giving a future green light to Mayo, who hit 46.6% of his shots this past season for the Jackrabbits (22-13).
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
This can also impact future relationships and the way in which the child learns how to relate to or depend on others.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 20 Apr. 2024
These stem cells were active long after the initial infection, even after levels of fungal antibodies and neutrophils had died down—essentially priming the body to respond dramatically to a future fungal threat.
—Maggie Chen, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
New hotels that have already been approved or are in development won’t be affected, but all future properties will have to face the ban.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2024
The letter also warned that turning over the recordings could have a chilling effect on future attempts by the Justice Department to interview other high-profile people or officials for sensitive investigations.
—Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
The group is focused on building a vehicle that will allow Artemis astronauts to safely navigate the lunar surface to conduct experiments and prepare the Moon for future human missions to Mars, according to a press release.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
Queen Creek’s water manager, Paul Gardner, said the town had been working for years to secure water for its future.
—Maanvi Singh, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
The Heat hopes to keep its season going even while knowing Butler won’t be available for the foreseeable future.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Beyond Autopia, Disney has an opportunity to promote that kind of future in Tomorrowland.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
But now, executives across Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. and Samsung SDS will be expected to work an extra day, with its financial services arms of the business expected to follow suit in the near future.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
The new lunar time zone, Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC), is all about ensuring the success of future, multinational missions to the moon, said Michelle Hanlon, the executive director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi.
—Kai McNamee, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The ultra-low-cost airline has been facing questions about its future after losing money in the past six quarters despite booming travel demand.
—Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Rihanna is a mother of two, but that number could be increasing in the near future.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
The developer behind Solé Mia sees a bright future ahead for Miami.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'future.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to future
Dictionary Entries Near future
Cite this Entry
“Future.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/future. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
future
1 of 2 adjective
fu·ture
ˈfyü-chər 
1
: coming after the present
future events
2
: of, relating to, or being a verb form in the future tense
future
2 of 2 noun1
a
: time that is to come
sometime in the future
b
: what is going to happen
predict the future
2
: expectation of future success
a promising future
3
: something (as a commodity) bought or sold for delivery at a future time
—usually used in plural
grain futures
4
a
b
: a verb form in the future tense
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English future "future," from early French futur (same meaning) and Latin futurus "about to be," from the Latin verb esse "to be"
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