past future perfect
Definition of past future perfect
: of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense that is traditionally formed in English with would have or should have and denotes an action or state completed at a time formerly in prospect (as would have finished in “on Monday I saw that by Friday he would have finished”)
Explore M-W
There's more!
Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.
Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:
- More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
- Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
- Advanced search features
- Ad free!
Origin and Etymology of past future perfect
1past + future perfect, adjective
past future perfect
Definition of past future perfect
1 : the past future perfect tense of a language
2 : a verb form in the past future perfect tense
There's more!
Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.
Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:
- More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
- Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
- Advanced search features
- Ad free!
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up past future perfect? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!