(futures)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
The future is the period of time that will come after the present, or the things that will happen then.
The spokesman said no decision on the proposal was likely in the immediate future...
He was making plans for the future...
I had little time to think about what the future held for me.
? past
N-SING: the N
2.
Future things will happen or exist after the present time.
She said if the world did not act conclusively now, it would only bequeath the problem to future generations...
Meanwhile, the domestic debate on Denmark's future role in Europe rages on.
...the future King and Queen.
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
Someone's future, or the future of something, is what will happen to them or what they will do after the present time.
His future as prime minister depends on the outcome of the elections...
...a proposed national conference on the country's political future...
N-COUNT: usu sing, usu with supp
4.
If you say that someone or something has a future, you mean that they are likely to be successful or to survive.
These abandoned children have now got a future...
There's no future in this relationship.
N-COUNT: usu a N in sing
5.
When people trade in futures, they buy stocks and shares, commodities such as coffee or oil, or foreign currency at a price that is agreed at the time of purchase for items which are delivered some time in the future. (BUSINESS)
This report could spur some buying in corn futures when the market opens today...
N-PLURAL: usu with supp
6.
In grammar, the future tense of a verb is the one used to talk about things that are going to happen. In English, this applies to verb groups consisting of 'will' or 'shall' and the base form of a verb. The future perfect tense of a verb is used to talk about things that will have happened at some time in the future.
ADJ: ADJ n
7.
You use in future when saying what will happen from now on, which will be different from what has previously happened. The form in the future is sometimes used instead, especially in American English.
I asked her to be more careful in future...
In the future, Mr. Fernandes says, he won't rely on others to handle this.
PHRASE