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.

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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

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

How to use expect in a sentence

Hogan said he expects to have used all of the LabGun tests by the end of the year.
Hogan’s first batch of coronavirus tests from South Korea were flawed, never used|Steve Thompson|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
This year, things will look a little different, but you can still expect to have a good time here.
10 Ski Areas Where You Can Camp in the Parking Lot|Megan Michelson|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
He said he’s fatigued most of the time but expects to make a full recovery.
A high school football coach had a heart attack during a game, but didn’t leave until it was done|Kyle Melnick|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Durant and Harden remain friends after their shared time together in Oklahoma City, and both could be expected to feast on the East’s weaker competition.
NBA free agency tracker (plus trades): Warriors acquire Kelly Oubre; 76ers trade Al Horford to Thunder|Ben Golliver|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

About 2,000 are eligible for retirement, but Metro officials don’t expect enough will take it to avoid layoffs.
Metro board approves budget cuts, buyouts as pandemic dents agency’s budget|Justin George|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
The whole altercation is fairly adorable and the Internet is expectedly obsessed with it.
An Old People’s Guide to Jay-Z|Kevin Fallon|December 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The case had come up expectedly two days after a public holiday.
The conquest of Rome|Matilde Serao
Here in this rich alluvial plain population might, expectedly, be dense at a very early period.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, March 1899|Various
Quite expectedly, the single slate of candidates presented by the Fatherland Front usually gets elected unanimously.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

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 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