tomorrow
A1Neutral (universally appropriate in all contexts)
Definition
Meaning
The day following today.
The near future; the time to come beyond the immediate present.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Can function as an adverb, noun, or adjective. As a noun, it can be countable or uncountable. Often used metaphorically to refer to the future in general.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in usage. Minor variations in collocational frequency and idiomatic phrasing (e.g., 'tomorrow morning' vs. 'morning tomorrow').
Connotations
Identical core connotations. The metaphorical use ('the car of tomorrow') is slightly more common in American advertising.
Frequency
Extremely high and identical frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
See you [tomorrow].Let's discuss it [tomorrow].The deadline is [tomorrow].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Like there's no tomorrow”
- “Tomorrow is another day”
- “Tomorrow never comes”
- “Jam tomorrow”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used for scheduling and deadlines, e.g., 'The report is due tomorrow EOD.'
Academic
Used in historical narratives ('the next day') and futuristic discussions ('solutions for tomorrow').
Everyday
The primary context for planning, e.g., 'What are you doing tomorrow?'
Technical
Rare in pure technical manuals; appears in project timelines and forecasts.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- "Stop worrying, you can't tomorrow your problems away." (non-standard, rare poetic use)
American English
- "We'll just have to tomorrow that issue." (informal, non-standard)
adverb
British English
- I'll pop round tomorrow, if that's alright.
American English
- I'll stop by tomorrow to pick it up.
adjective
British English
- He's a tomorrow person, always planning ahead.
American English
- She's focused on tomorrow's technology.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We have English class tomorrow.
- I will see my friend tomorrow.
- Could you send me the file by tomorrow afternoon?
- Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be much warmer.
- The committee will reconvene tomorrow to finalise the proposal.
- He lives for tomorrow without enjoying today.
- Policymakers must balance today's exigencies against tomorrow's potential crises.
- The promise of a technological utopia is often just jam tomorrow.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'TO' + 'MORROW' as moving 'TO' the 'MORROW' (an old word for morning) – the morning of the next day.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE FUTURE IS A PLACE WE ARE TRAVELING TO (e.g., 'building a better tomorrow'). TIME IS A RESOURCE (e.g., 'wasting tomorrow').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'завтра' in a purely metaphorical context where English would use 'in the future' or 'later'. The phrase 'jam tomorrow' (a false promise) has no direct equivalent.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'on tomorrow' (Correct: 'tomorrow' or 'by tomorrow'). Incorrect: 'tomorrows' as a plural verb form. Incorrect preposition: 'at tomorrow'.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'tomorrow' used as a noun?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally, no preposition is used ('See you tomorrow'). The prepositions 'by', 'before', 'after', or 'until' can be used when specifying a time relative to tomorrow ('by tomorrow noon'). 'On tomorrow' is incorrect.
'Tomorrows', used to refer to future days in a metaphorical or poetic sense (e.g., 'all our tomorrows').
In narrative (past tense), 'the next day' is used. 'Tomorrow' is anchored to the speaker's present moment. 'Tomorrow' is also more common in direct speech and informal contexts.
It means a pleasant thing that is promised but never materializes; a false promise of future rewards. It originates from Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking-Glass'.
Collections
Part of a collection
Numbers and Time
A1 · 50 words · Numbers, dates, days and expressions of time.
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