expectation

American  

[ek-spek-tey-shuhn] / ˌɛk spɛkˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• expectations
  plural

1. the act or the state of expecting.

   to wait in expectation.

2. the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.

   Synonyms:

   trust, hope, anticipation, expectancy

3. an expectant mental attitude.

   a high pitch of expectation.

4. something expected; a thing looked forward to.

5. Often expectations. a prospect of future good or profit.

   to have great expectations.

6. the degree of probability that something will occur.

   There is little expectation that he will come.

7. Mathematics, Statistics. mathematical expectation.

8. the state of being expected.

   a large sum of money in expectation.

---

expectation British  

/ ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃən, ɪkˈspɛktətɪv /

noun

1. the act or state of expecting or the state of being expected

2. (usually plural) something looked forward to, whether feared or hoped for

   we have great expectations for his future

   their worst expectations

3. an attitude of expectancy or hope; anticipation

   to regard something with expectation

4. statistics

   1. the numerical probability that an event will occur

   2. another term for expected value

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• expectationist
  noun
• overexpectation
  noun
• preexpectation
  noun
• superexpectation
  noun
• expectational
  adjective
• expectative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• expectations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of expectation

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin ex(s)pectātiōn-, stem of ex(s)pectātiō “anticipation, suspense,” from ex(s)pectāt(us) (past participle of ex(s)pectāre “to look out for, await”) + -iō -ion; see expect

Explanation

An expectation is a belief about what might happen in the future, like your expectation to stay close with your best friends your whole life. The word expectation comes from the Latin word expectationem, meaning "an awaiting." If you have great expectations, you think something good will come your way, but if keep your expectations low, you won't risk being disappointed. Expectation can also describe something that is supposed to happen, like a teacher whose expectation is that everyone comes to class prepared.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expectation expectations

Kieran Morrison, 19, had a good tour, scoring the first goal of the Iraola era and depending on depth, the expectation is that he will likely go on loan this season.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The small-estate expectation for real estate is $750,000, and your $1 million property would definitely fall outside of that, not even accounting for price appreciation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Jackson said the officer will fight the charge and plead not guilty, and that the law only applies where the speakers have a reasonable expectation that what they say would not be overheard or recorded.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Shares initially fell by more than 4% in after-hours trading, a sign Apple’s total revenue of $109 billion, which only slightly topped Wall Street’s expectation of $108 billion, may have disappointed investors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

In fact, like questions that need answers, many phrases leave the listener with a strong expectation of hearing the next, "answering," phrase.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

The company brought in $7.8 billion in revenue in the second quarter, up 92% from the same period last year, and reported a net loss of $541 million, beating Wall Street’s expectations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Executives said McDonald's World Cup promotions had underperformed versus expectations, while suggesting that inconsistent implementation of value-oriented promotional deals was a bigger factor.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

During the quarter, the Melrose Avenue film studio released “Scary Movie,” which brought in $231 million in global ticket sales, surpassing expectations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Indeed, Josh Jamner, senior investment strategy analyst at ClearBridge Investments, said the recent compression in stock valuation has been driven primarily by improving corporate earnings expectations, rather than investors simply paying higher prices for stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

She felt torn between living up to the expectations of her father and her fiancé, both important men in her life.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• assumption
• chance
• confidence
• fear
• forecast
• hope
• intention
• likelihood
• notion
• outlook
• possibility
• prediction
• promise
• prospect
• trust
• view