expect

[ ik-spekt ]

/ ɪkˈspɛkt /

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See synonyms for: expect / expected / expecting / expects on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of: I expect to read it. I expect him later. She expects that they will come.

to look for with reason or justification: We expect obedience.

Informal. to suppose or surmise; guess: I expect that you are tired from the trip.

to anticipate the birth of (one's child): Paul and Sylvia expect their second very soon.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about expect

be expecting, to be pregnant: The cat is expecting again.

Origin of expect

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin ex(s)pectāre “to look out for, await,” equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + spectāre “to look at,” frequentative of specere; see spectacle

usage note for expect

3. This sense of expect ( I expect you went with them. I expect you want to leave now. ) is encountered in the speech of educated people but seldom in their writing.

OTHER WORDS FROM expect

ex·pect·a·ble, adjectiveex·pect·a·bly, adverbex·pect·ed·ly, adverbex·pect·ed·ness, noun

ex·pect·er, nounex·pect·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·ex·pect, verbpre·ex·pect, verb (used with object)un·ex·pect·a·ble, adjectiveun·ex·pect·a·bly, adverbun·ex·pect·ing, adjectiveun·ex·pect·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby expect

ex parte, expat, expatiate, expatriate, expatriation, expect, expectancy, expectant, expectation, expectation of life, Expectation Sunday

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say expect?

To expect something is to look forward to it or to regard it as likely to happen. How is expect different from anticipate, hope, and await? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.

How to use expect in a sentence

Lawmakers are expected to be in Washington until the start of October, after which they are scheduled to return to their home districts for the last weeks of the campaign season.
Election live updates: Trump returns to Wisconsin; Biden to face live audience at town hall|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
She is expected to continue in her role next year, if Democrats retain control the House.
Trump moves closer to Pelosi in economic aid talks, and House speaker must decide next move|Rachael Bade, Erica Werner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
Biden’s team is going after a population that is generally more averse to in-person interactions and more of his supporters are expected to cast ballots over the next month, either by mail or through early voting.
Trump and his campaign try to allay concerns about trailing Biden in television ads|Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
Even in states that haven’t made absentee voting easier, the number of ballot requests is still expected to spike.
Vote by mail: Which states allow absentee voting|Kate Rabinowitz, Brittany Mayes|September 17, 2020|Washington Post

Redfield told the panel he expected a vaccine to start being available in November or December.
Top health official says states need about $6 billion from Congress to distribute coronavirus vaccine|Lena H. Sun|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
The resources were what you might expect: Dining room, a media center, a library, a TV room, a meeting room, a computer room.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Plus, expect outside players to take actions related to the conflict.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The relationships, and motivations of their chief participants, are as tangled and shady as you expect of the super-rich.
The Real-Life ‘Downton’ Millionairesses Who Changed Britain|Tim Teeman|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You expect soldiers of all ranks to understand the need to respect the chain of command, regardless of personal feelings.
We Need Our Police to Be Better Than This|Nick Gillespie|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The name that most Republicans seem both to expect and dread to consider running is Vito Fossella.
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress|Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You speak with about as little reflection as we might expect from one of those children down there playing in the sand.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Why expect that extraordinary virtues should be in one person united, when one virtue makes a man extraordinary?
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Or, if I escaped these dangers for a day or two, what could I expect but a miserable death of cold and hunger?
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
He wrote a letter to Sir Hugh Wheeler warning the gallant old general that he might expect to be attacked forthwith.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
I did not find the Aristocracy so remarkable for physical perfection and beauty as I had been taught to expect.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for expect

expect

/ (ɪkˈspɛkt) /

verb (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)

to regard as probable or likely; anticipatehe expects to win

to look forward to or be waiting forwe expect good news today

to decide that (something) is requisite or necessary; requirethe boss expects us to work late today

Derived forms of expect

expectable, adjectiveexpectably, adverb

Word Origin for expect

C16: from Latin exspectāre to watch for, from spectāre to look at

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with expect

expect

see when least expected.

expect

Idioms about expect

Origin of expect

usage note for expect

OTHER WORDS FROM expect

Words nearby expect

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say expect?

Words related to expect

How to use expect in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for expect

Derived forms of expect

Word Origin for expect

Other Idioms and Phrases with expect