Oil future refers to the expected price of crude oil at a specific future date. There are several synonyms for the term oil future which can be used depending on the context. Oil futures can also be referred to as crude oil futures, petroleum futures, or energy futures. The term oil contract or crude oil contract can also be used to refer to the same thing. The derivatives trading market also refers to oil futures as commodity futures, as crude oil is one of the most actively traded commodities. The term oil forward is yet another synonym for oil future and denotes the price that oil is expected to sell at some point in the future.