future

adjective

fu·ture | \ ˈfyü-chər

Definition of future

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : that is to be specifically : existing after death doctrine of a future life — John Kenrick

2 : of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense expressive of time yet to come

3 : existing or occurring at a later time met his future wife We cannot foretell future events.

future

noun

Definition of future (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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

4a : the future tense of a language

b : a verb form in the future tense

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about future

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Synonyms & Antonyms for future

Synonyms: Adjective

coming, unborn

Synonyms: Noun

by-and-by, futurity, hereafter, offing, tomorrow

Antonyms: Adjective

bygone, past

Antonyms: Noun

past

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 Web: Adjective

And almost all this future growth will be in developing countries. — The Economist, "How the world’s poor are discovering leisure online," 8 June 2019 Here’s how to get a question answered in future Warriors mailbags. — Mark Medina, The Mercury News, "Warriors mailbag: Will Kevin Durant return in the NBA Finals?," 7 June 2019 Begin by examining your current lifestyle and using it to project your future retirement income needs. — Peter Dunn, USA TODAY, "Pete the Planner: Before buying your parents' house, calculate its effect on retirement," 7 June 2019 The Rapids declined to comment on Boateng’s current or possible future status with the club. — Mark Goodman, The Denver Post, "Backpass: Wins are fixing the Rapids’ serious attendance problem in Commerce City," 7 June 2019 On the other hand, future annual returns below 7.25 percent would drop the funding level further. — Randy Diamond, ExpressNews.com, "CPS Energy’s pension plan lost more than $65 Million in 2018," 7 June 2019 One way to help avoid future financial hardships for cancer patients is to discuss those costs prior to starting treatment, Greenup said. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, "The cost of cancer: 25% of survivors face financial hardship, report finds," 6 June 2019 The company is planning to expand the availability of Uber Copter over the coming weeks and months, testing the launch for a future aerial ride-sharing network, according to an Uber spokesperson. — Sarah Min, CBS News, "Uber to go airborne in NYC and offer helicopter ride service to JFK Airport," 6 June 2019 Ly said many potential collaborators have reached out, hoping to work with her on future projects. — Belle Lu, NBC News, "A Facebook group for Asian creatives made an Ariana Grande parody possible," 3 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Everything now revolves around Williamson, the club’s future franchise player, and guard Jrue Holiday. — Jeff Duncan, nola.com, "Pelicans have the right man in charge to execute Plan Z," 8 June 2019 Scorah, by untangling and exposing the mechanisms that once held her, offers a path for others to imagine new and unexpectedly hopeful futures for themselves, despite the fear and grief that accompany such a transition. — Jacqueline Alnes, Longreads, "‘If Any of My Old Friends Are Reading This, It Is Okay Out Here.’," 8 June 2019 Plans have been filed for the first 119 townhouses and duplexes in the future Packing District project, the residential, business and park development from Dr. Phillips Charities. — Kyle Arnold, orlandosentinel.com, "Townhouses, duplexes planned for Orlando’s Packing District," 7 June 2019 Submit your question in the form below, and reporter Greg Garrison may look into answering your question in a future story. — Greg Garrison, al.com, "Southern Baptist Convention meets next week: What do you want to know?," 7 June 2019 The relationships help students who are on the brink of success build self-confidence, develop communication and interpersonal skills, discover their passions and find meaningful connections between school and the future. — Houston Chronicle, "Spring Branch Education Foundation announces 2019 grants," 7 June 2019 The Undefeated, a vertical focused on the intersection of race and sports, has seen key staffers leave for other publications, stoking concern about the site’s future. — Alex Putterman, courant.com, "Journalism at ESPN: Sports network seeks to be about more than wins, losses and debate," 7 June 2019 That doesn't mean minivans will perish altogether at any point in the immediate future. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "Death of the minivan? As Americans buy more SUVs, is the minivan headed for the junkyard?," 7 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'future.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for future

future

noun

Financial Definition of future

What It Is

Futures are financial contracts giving the buyer an obligation to purchase an asset (and the seller an obligation to sell an asset) at a set price at a future point in time.

How It Works

Futures are also called futures contracts.

The assets often traded in futures contracts include commodities, stocks, and bonds. Grain, precious metals, electricity, oil, beef, orange juice, and natural gas are traditional examples of commodities, but foreign currencies, emissions credits, bandwidth, and certain financial instruments are also part of today's commodity markets.

There are two kinds of futures traders: hedgers and speculators. Hedgers do not usually seek a profit by trading commodities ev but rather seek to stabilize the revenues or costs of their business operations. Their gains or losses are usually offset to some degree by a corresponding loss or gain in the market for the underlying physical commodity.

Speculators are usually not interested in taking possession of the underlying assets. They essentially place bets on the future prices of certain commodities. Thus, if you disagree with the consensus that wheat prices are going to fall, you might buy a futures contract. If your prediction is right and wheat prices increase, you could make money by selling the futures contract (which is now worth a lot more) before it expires (this prevents you from having to take delivery of the wheat as well). Speculators are often blamed for big price swings, but they also provide liquidity to the futures market.

Futures contracts are standardized, meaning that they specify the underlying commodity's quality, quantity, and delivery so that the prices mean the same thing to everyone in the market. For example, each kind of crude oil (light sweet crude, for example) must meet the same quality specifications so that light sweet crude from one producer is no different from another and the buyer of light sweet crude futures knows exactly what he's getting.

Futures exchanges depend on clearing members to manage the payments between buyer and seller. They are usually large banks and financial services companies. Clearing members guarantee each trade and thus require traders to make good-faith deposits (called margins) in order to ensure that the trader has sufficient funds to handle potential losses and will not default on the trade. The risk borne by clearing members lends further support to the strict quality, quantity, and delivery specifications of futures contracts.

Regulation
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates commodities futures trading through its enforcement of the Commodity Exchange Act of 1974 and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000. The CFTC works to ensure the competitiveness, efficiency, and integrity of the commodities futures markets and protects against manipulation, abusive trading, and fraud.

Futures Exchanges
There are several futures exchanges. Common ones include The New York Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, the Chicago Climate Futures Exchange, the Kansas City Board of Trade, and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

Why It Matters

Futures are a great way for companies involved in the commodities industries to stabilize their prices and thus their operations and financial performance. Futures give them the ability to "set" prices or costs well in advance, which in turn allows them to plan better, smooth out cash flows, and communicate with shareholders more confidently.

Futures trading is a zero-sum game; that is, if somebody makes a million dollars, somebody else loses a million dollars. Because futures contracts can be purchased on margin, meaning that the investor can buy a contract with a partial loan from his or her broker, futures traders have an incredible amount of leverage with which to trade thousands or millions of dollars worth of contracts with very little of their own money.

Source: Investing Answers

future

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of future

(Entry 1 of 2)

: coming after the present time : existing in the future

—used to say what someone or something will be

future

noun

English Language Learners Definition of future (Entry 2 of 2)

: the period of time that will come after the present time

: the events that will happen after the present time

: the condition or situation of someone or something in the time that will come

See the full definition for future in the English Language Learners Dictionary

future

adjective

fu·ture | \ ˈfyü-chər

Kids Definition of future

(Entry 1 of 2)

: coming after the present future events

future

noun

Kids Definition of future (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the period of time that is to come What will happen in the future?

2 : the chance of future success You have a bright future.

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future

noun

fu·ture

Legal Definition of future

: a contract traded on an exchange in which a party agrees to buy or sell a quantity of a bulk commodity (as soybeans) at a specified future date and at a set price —usually used in pl.

Note: If the price of the commodity has gone up when the future date arrives, the buyer in the contract profits. If the price has gone down, the seller profits.