Meaning & use
future-proofing
Last updated
“future-proofing” is a form of “future-proof”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountable
The act of designing or preparing something now so that it will keep working well when conditions or technology change later.
Grammar: No plural: future-proofing takes planning, not a quick fix.
Patterns
- future-proofing of something
- future-proofing against something
Choosing a fast cable is a simple form of future-proofing for your home network.
The architects included extra pipes as future-proofing against changing needs.
Future-proofing a business means preparing for new technology and shifting customers.
verbtransitive
Making something able to stay useful or valuable as technology, rules or demand change in the years ahead.
Grammar: -ing form of future-proof; takes an object: future-proofing the system.
Patterns
- future-proofing something
- future-proofing something against something
The city is future-proofing its roads by planning for electric vehicles.
We are future-proofing the software so it can handle more users.
She is future-proofing her career by learning new skills each year.
Word forms
| base form | future-proof |
|---|---|
| third person singular | future-proofs |
| past tense | future-proofed |
| -ing form | future-proofing |
Common combinations
- future-proofing strategy
- The firm has a clear future-proofing strategy for its data systems.
- future-proofing your career
- Learning to code is a way of future-proofing your career.
- future-proofing against change
- Flexible design is good future-proofing against change.
- future-proofing the economy
- The minister spoke about future-proofing the economy with green jobs.
- invest in future-proofing
- Schools should invest in future-proofing their buildings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- preparing
- Preparing is general and can be for a nearby event, while future-proofing means preparing for long-term and uncertain change.
- safeguarding
- Safeguarding focuses on protecting something from harm, not on keeping it useful as things change.
- modernizing
- Modernizing updates something to current standards, whereas future-proofing aims at standards that have not arrived yet.
- planning ahead
- Planning ahead is a casual phrase and does not suggest designing a product to last through change.
Opposites
Word family
- future-proof verb
- to prepare something to stay useful in the future
- future-proof adjective
- able to stay useful as things change
- future noun
- the time that is still to come
- proof adjective
- able to resist something, as in waterproof
Commonly confused: future-proofing or forecasting?
future-proofing vs forecasting
Forecasting means predicting what will happen, while future-proofing means acting now so you cope with whatever happens.
Practice
Installing extra power outlets in a new house for devices we do not own yet is a form of ___.
Choose one answer.
Future-proofing means preparing now for later needs. Downsizing, outsourcing and recycling describe other actions that do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “future-proofing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.