n.
-
(the future)
time that is still to come.
▸events or conditions that will or are likely to occur at a later date.
- a prospect of success or happiness:
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I might have a future as an artist.
- Grammar a tense of verbs expressing events that have not yet happened.
-
(futures)
contracts for assets (especially commodities or shares) bought at agreed prices but delivered and paid for later. Compare with forward (in sense 2).
adj.
- existing or occurring in the future.
▸planned or destined to hold a specified position:
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his future wife.
- Grammar (of a tense) expressing an event yet to happen.
Phrase
- in future
from now onwards.
Derivative
Etymology
ME: via OFr. from L. futurus, future part. of esse ‘be’ (from the stem fu-, ult. from a base meaning ‘grow, become’).
