INDEX:
1. in a short time from now or from a particular time
2. very soon
3. to be going to happen soon
4. when something unpleasant is going to happen soon
RELATED WORDS
too soon : ↑ EARLY (2)
see also
↑ IMMEDIATELY
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1. in a short time from now or from a particular time
▷ soon /suːn/ [adverb]
in a short time from now, or a short time after something else happens :
▪ It’ll soon be Christmas.
▪ Driving in the city was hard at first, but she soon got used to it.
▪ Why wasn’t I told about this sooner?
as soon as possible
▪ Please reply as soon as possible.
as soon as you can
▪ I came as soon as I could.
the sooner the better
used to say that it is important that something is done very soon
▪ We need to get him to a hospital, and the sooner the better.
after/afterwards
▪ They set off soon after breakfast.
▷ before long /bɪˌfɔːʳ ˈlɒŋǁ-ˈlɔːŋ/ [adverb]
after a fairly short time :
▪ Those two will be getting married before long.
▪ Her eyelids began to droop and before long she was fast asleep.
▷ shortly /ˈʃɔːʳtli/ [adverb]
soon - use this especially about something that you know will happen soon :
▪ We apologize for the delay -- the train will be leaving shortly.
▪ The President will shortly be on his way to Italy for a trade conference.
shortly after
▪ Her last novel was published shortly after her death.
▷ in the near future/in the not too distant future /ɪn ðə ˌnɪəʳ ˈfjuːtʃəʳ, ɪn ðə ˌnɒt tuː ˌdɪstənt ˈfjuːtʃəʳ/ [adverb]
use this to talk about something that will happen in the next few weeks or months, although you do not know exactly when :
▪ She doesn’t have a driver’s license, but is hoping to pass her test in the near future.
▪ A new health club is to be built here in the not too distant future.
▷ won’t be long /ˌwəʊnt biː ˈlɒŋǁ-ˈlɔːŋ/ [verb phrase] spoken
use this to say that something will happen soon or someone will arrive soon :
▪ Dinner won’t be long.
▪ ‘When’s Dad coming home?’ ‘He won’t be long.’
it won’t be long before
▪ It won’t be long before we’re off on vacation.
▷ it wasn’t long before /ɪt ˌwɒz ə nt ˈlɒŋ bɪfɔːʳǁ-ˌwɑːz ə nt ˈlɔːŋ-/
use this to talk about something that happened fairly soon after a particular event :
▪ They started playing together in June 1961, and it wasn’t long before they got a recording contract.
▷ quickly /ˈkwɪkli/ [adverb]
if you do something quickly, you do it very soon after something else happens :
▪ Alex was knocked to the ground, but he quickly recovered.
▪ Fortunately, India quickly returned to calm after Mrs Gandhi’s death.
2. very soon
▷ in no time/in no time at all /ɪn ˈnəʊ taɪm, ɪn ˌnəʊ taɪm ət ˈɔːl/ [adverb]
use this to talk about something good that will happen very soon or that happened a very short time after something else :
▪ Don’t worry - you’ll be back to normal in no time.
▪ In no time at all he had built up a big following among the local black community.
▷ in a minute/in a moment /ɪn ə ˈmɪnə̇t, ɪn ə ˈməʊmənt/ [adverb] spoken
use this to talk about something that will happen or that you will do within a few minutes :
▪ The coffee will be ready in a minute.
▪ Don’t keep nagging me - I’ll do it in a minute!
▪ We will return to the subject of tax in a moment.
▷ any minute/moment/time now /ˌeni ˈmɪnə̇t, ˈməʊmənt, taɪm ˈnaʊ/ [adverb] spoken
use this to say that something will happen in a very short time from now, but you do not know exactly when :
▪ My father’s due to arrive any minute now.
▪ Any moment now the final whistle will be blown.
▪ If she hasn’t had the baby already, she’s going to have it any time now.
▷ any day/any day now /ˌeni ˈdeɪ, ˌeni deɪ ˈnaʊ/ [adverb] spoken
use this to say that something will happen at some time in the next few days, but you do not know exactly when :
▪ The letter should be with you any day now.
▪ His ship was due back from the Pacific any day now.
▷ at any moment/minute /ət ˌeni ˈməʊmənt, ˈmɪnə̇t/ [adverb]
use this to talk about something that may happen very soon, especially something dangerous or unpleasant :
▪ He could have another heart attack at any moment.
▪ We knew that war might break out at any moment.
▪ The car looked as though it would fall apart at any minute.
▷ momentarily /ˈməʊmənt ə rɪli, ˈməʊmənt ə rəliǁˌməʊmənˈterə̇li/ [adverb] American
use this to tell someone politely that something will happen very soon :
▪ Mr Ewing will see you momentarily, sir.
▷ before you know it /bɪˌfɔːʳ juː ˈnəʊ ɪt/ [adverb] spoken
use this to say that something will happen or be done very soon and before you really realize it is happening :
▪ You’ll be fully recovered before you know it.
▪ You offer to iron his shirt and before you know it, he expects you to do all the housework.
3. to be going to happen soon
▷ be coming up /biː ˌkʌmɪŋ ˈʌp/ [verb phrase] spoken :
▪ I’m pretty busy right now -- I have exams coming up next week.
▪ With Christmas coming up, we didn’t have much spare money.
▷ be in sight /biː ɪn ˈsaɪt/ [verb phrase]
if something that you are hoping for is in sight, you think it will probably happen soon :
▪ A solution to the problem now seems in sight.
be nowhere in sight
not likely to happen soon
▪ The end of the economic nightmare is still nowhere in sight.
▷ be around the corner also be round the corner British /biː əˌraʊnd ðə ˈkɔːʳnəʳ, biː ˌraʊnd ðə ˈkɔːʳnəʳ/ [verb phrase]
if something is around the corner, it might happen very soon but you cannot be completely sure :
▪ In life, you never quite know what’s around the corner.
▪ He continues to hint that the end of his playing career may be round the corner.
be just around the corner
▪ They keep telling us that better economic times are just around the corner.
▷ be in the offing /biː ɪn ði ˈɒfɪŋǁ-ˈɔːf-/ [verb phrase]
to be likely to happen soon, although you do not know exactly when :
▪ Appeals are common when a general election is in the offing.
▪ According to the company, these deals had been in the offing for some time.
▷ imminent /ˈɪmɪnənt, ˈɪmənənt/ [adjective]
something that is imminent, especially something important, unpleasant, or dangerous, is likely to happen very soon :
▪ Soon it became clear to everyone that war was imminent.
▪ With the election imminent, Churchill returned to London.
▪ Some of the buildings were in a state of imminent collapse.
imminent danger
▪ The child was in imminent danger of falling into the water.
▷ forthcoming /ˌfɔːʳθˈkʌmɪŋ◂/ [adjective only before noun]
a forthcoming event has been planned to happen soon :
▪ Dixon was convinced he could win the forthcoming election.
▪ The matter will be discussed at the forthcoming general meeting.
▪ Forthcoming attractions include a magician and a quiz competition.
▷ upcoming /ˈʌpˌkʌmɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun] American
an upcoming event, especially a political event, has been planned to happen :
▪ The space program will be reviewed during the upcoming congressional session.
▪ He was preparing the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
4. when something unpleasant is going to happen soon
▷ loom /luːm/ [intransitive verb]
if a problem or difficulty looms, it is likely to happen soon :
▪ As the day of my interview loomed, I became increasingly nervous.
▪ With the prospect of bankruptcy looming, life is getting tough for small businesses.
▷ hang over /ˌhæŋ ˈəʊvəʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
if something dangerous or unpleasant hangs over you, it is likely to happen soon and this makes you feel worried and nervous :
▪ The threat of nuclear war hangs over mankind.
▪ With the court case hanging over us, we couldn’t enjoy our vacation.
▷ be brewing /biː ˈbruːɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
if problems, difficulties, arguments etc are brewing, they are starting to develop and will probably happen soon :
▪ Union bosses fear that a strike is brewing in the coal industry.
▪ A major political row over the European question had been brewing for some time.
▷ impending /ɪmˈpendɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
an impending event or situation, especially an unpleasant one, is going to happen very soon :
▪ Extra troops were usually a sign of an impending attack.
▪ We were sorry to hear about Arlene’s impending divorce.
▪ warnings of an impending ecological disaster