Future is the time that hasn't happened yet, the stretch of moments, days, and years still ahead of you. When you think about summer vacation in January, you're thinking about the future. When scientists predict what technology will look like in fifty years, they're imagining the future.

The word often appears in phrases like “in the future” (meaning from now on) or “the near future” (meaning soon). You might tell a friend, “I'll be more careful in the future,” promising to change your behavior going forward.

People often talk about their future, meaning the life and opportunities waiting for them. A student might worry about their future career, or feel excited about future possibilities. The future feels uncertain because it hasn't been written yet: your choices today help shape what your future becomes.

As an adjective, future can describe things designed for or happening in times ahead. A futuristic design looks like something from years in the future. Future generations are people not yet born who will live after us. Scientists studying future climate try to predict what Earth's weather will be like decades from now, while investors might buy futures (contracts to buy something at a set price on a future date).