expect
verb (used with object)
to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of.
had been expecting
-
past perfect progressiveof expect.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said that institutional investors had been expecting Manhattan Associates’ cloud-services revenue growth to slow, and consensus estimates were in line with that view.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
After this latest run-up in rates, the Glenn-Rhodeses would have to put down an additional $40,000 to land the monthly payment that they had been expecting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Elon Musk’s company delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, more than Wall Street had been expecting.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
EXCLUSIVE: Markets had been expecting a bumper quarter following an ebullient start to the year crowned by SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
He was not surprised, for without knowing, he had been expecting it.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
