(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
The ~ 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 ~...
He was making plans for the ~...
I had little time to think about what the ~ 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 ~ generations...
Meanwhile, the domestic debate on Denmark’s ~ role in Europe rages on.
...the ~ King and Queen.
for ~ reference: see reference
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
Someone’s ~, or the ~ of something, is what will happen to them or what they will do after the present time.
His ~ as prime minister depends on the outcome of the elections...
...a proposed national conference on the country’s political ~...
N-COUNT: usu sing, usu with supp
4.
If you say that someone or something has a ~, you mean that they are likely to be successful or to survive.
These abandoned children have now got a ~...
There’s no ~ in this relationship.
N-COUNT: usu a N in sing
5.
When people trade in ~s, 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 ~. (BUSINESS)
This report could spur some buying in corn ~s when the market opens today...
N-PLURAL: usu with supp
6.
In grammar, the ~ 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 ~ perfect tense of a verb is used to talk about things that will have happened at some time in the ~.
ADJ: ADJ n
7.
You use in ~ when saying what will happen from now on, which will be different from what has previously happened. The form in the ~ is sometimes used instead, especially in American English.
I asked her to be more careful in ~...
In the ~, Mr. Fernandes says, he won’t rely on others to handle this.
PHRASE