variants or less commonly next generation
: of or relating to a potential, forthcoming, or brand-new version of an existing product or technology : next-gen
The older hardware companies don't have the field to themselves. They're being challenged by waves of start-ups with next-generation technology.Bethany McLean
The finding has added fuel to a long-standing dispute over the Navy's next-generation sonar technology—a system that environmentalists say poses grave risks to marine mammals.David Kohn
Mr. [Lewis] Dale [General Motor's director of public policy] said the world's largest automaker spent $1 billion on electric vehicle and fuel cell research and prototype production in the past decade. He said GM doesn't want to make just 50,000 next generation vehicles, but rather sell millions.Mike Pare

Examples of next-generation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The day that the next-generation iPhone software is made available can vary by a day or two. David Phelan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The key non-headline metric for Palo Alto is next-generation security annual recurring revenue, known as NGS ARR. Kevin Stankiewicz,zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026 Tohoku University brings a major advantage to the effort through NanoTerasu, its next-generation synchrotron radiation facility. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026 Lilly said a study showed people on its experimental, next-generation weight-loss shot retatrutide achieved weight loss of 19% to 28%. Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for next-generation

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of next-generation was in 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Next-generation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/next-generation. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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