to-be

noun

The future, that which is to come.

Similar
the future
Opposite
as-is
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Meanings

nounto-be (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe future, that which is to come.

    Comparing the as-is to the to-be provides a gap analysis between where the organization is and where it wants to be.

    2008, Keith D. Willett, Information Assurance Architecture, page 49
    1 more example

    […] I shall be thy mate no more, Tho’ following with an upward mind ⁠The wonders that have come to thee, ⁠Thro’ all the secular to be, But evermore a life behind.

    1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XL”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 63

    Synonyms: the future

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe future, that which is to come.

Similar
the future
Opposite
as-is
Also see
futurityto-come

Origin

From to + be.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

to-be. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to-be

MLA

“to-be.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to-be. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “to-be,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/to-be.

Source: to-be on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.