# future

Pronunciation: US say "FYOO-chur" /ˈfju.t͡ʃɚ/; UK say "FYOO-chuh" /ˈfjuː.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. The time that is still to come, and what will happen in it.
   - Simple: The time after now, and the things that will happen then.
   - _He worries about the future and what it might hold for his family._
   - _Predicting the future has fascinated scientists and storytellers for centuries._
3. The likely prospects of a person or thing, especially the chance of success or of good things to come.
   - Simple: What is likely to happen to someone or something later, especially their chance of success.
   - _Analysts are uncertain about the company's future after the merger._
   - _A good education can shape a child's future._
5. The verb tense used to talk about events that will happen in the time to come.
   - Simple: The verb form used to talk about things that will happen later.
   - _The teacher explained how the future is formed with the word 'will'._
   - _Many languages mark the future with a special verb ending._
4. Alternative form of futures: a standardized contract, traded on an exchange, to buy or sell an asset at an agreed price on a set future date. — Alternative form of futures.
   - Simple: Alternative form of futures. In trading, an agreement to buy or sell something at a set price on a later date.
   - _The fund hedged its currency risk by selling a euro future on the exchange._
   - _The December crude oil future rose three percent in early trading._

## Adjective

2. Relating to or taking place in the time still to come.
   - Simple: Happening in the time that is still to come.
   - _The committee will discuss the proposal at a future meeting._
   - _Future generations will inherit the consequences of today's choices._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A minor-league player regarded as a promising prospect for the major leagues.
- (noun) A programming object that retrieves the value produced by a promise once it becomes available.

## Origin

From Middle English future, from Old French futur, from Latin futūrus, an irregular future active participle of sum ("I am"), which traces back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- ("to become, be"). It is cognate with Old English bēo ("I become, I will be") and displaced the native Old English tōweard.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/future (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).