future

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English future, futur, from Old French futur, from Latin futūrus, irregular future active participle of sum (“to be”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become, be”). Cognate with Old English bēo (“I become, I will be, I am”). More at be. Displaced native Old English tōweard, which took on a different meaning as toward, and Middle English afterhede (“future”, literally “afterhood”) in the given sense. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fyo͞o'chə(r), IPA(key): /ˈfjuː.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈfju.t͡ʃɚ/ Rhymes: -uːtʃə(ɹ) === Noun === future (countable and uncountable, plural futures) The time ahead; those moments yet to be experienced. Something that will happen in moments yet to come. Goodness in what is yet to come. Something to look forward to. The likely prospects for or fate of someone or something in time to come. (grammar) Verb tense used to talk about events that will happen in the future; future tense. (finance) Alternative form of futures. (computing, programming) An object that retrieves the value of a promise. (sports) A minor-league prospect. ==== Usage notes ==== (finance): The one who agrees to, at a future date, sell the commodity is considered to be selling the future; the other buys it. (finance): A non-standardized contract to buy and sell in the future is called forward or forward contract. ==== Synonyms ==== (time or moments yet to be experienced): to-come, toward (obsolete); see also Thesaurus:the future ==== Coordinate terms ==== (finance): forward ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === future (not comparable) Having to do with or occurring in the future. ==== Synonyms ==== unborn; see also Thesaurus:future ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fy.tyʁ/ Homophones: futur, futurs, futures === Adjective === future feminine singular of futur == Italian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fuˈtu.re/ Rhymes: -ure Hyphenation: fu‧tù‧re === Adjective === future f pl feminine plural of futuro == Latin == === Participle === futūre vocative masculine singular of futūrus == Middle English == === Alternative forms === futur, ffutur, futire === Etymology === Borrowed from Old French futur, from Latin futūrus, future participle of sum (cognate to Middle English been). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fiu̯ˈtiu̯r/, /ˈfiu̯tur/, /ˈfiu̯tir/ === Noun === future (plural futures) (rare) A future action or doing; that which happens in the future. (rare) The future; the time beyond the present. ==== Descendants ==== English: future Scots: futur ==== References ==== “fūtūr(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 July 2018. === Adjective === future Occurring after the present; future or upcoming. (rare, grammar) Having the future tense; grammatically marking futureness. ==== Descendants ==== English: future Scots: futur ==== References ==== “fūtūr(e, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 20 July 2018. == Norman == === Adjective === future feminine singular of futur == Old French == === Noun === future oblique singular, m (oblique plural futures, nominative singular futures, nominative plural future) (grammar) future (tense) == Portuguese == === Verb === future inflection of futurar: first/third-person singular present subjunctive third-person singular imperative