[, ] ( ˈfutures ˌcontract []) () a contract to buy or sell a particular amount of sth, such as a raw material, currency or shares, at a particular time in the future and for a particular price. Futures are traded in organized markets ( futures exchanges) 期货（在将来的某一时间按某个价格买卖一定量的原材料、货币或股票的合同）◆coffee/gold/oil/energy futures 咖啡／黄金／石油／能源期货◆bond/commodity/stock futures 债券／商品／股票期货◆Futures prices for natural gas are up 130% from last year. 与去年相比，天然气期货价格上涨了 130%。➡forward contract ➡ idiom at hitch verb⨁to buy / offer / sell / trade (in) futures 买／出售／卖／买卖期货⨁futures expire / trade 期货到期／交易⨁a futures broker / trader 期货经纪人／交易商commodity futures currency future