expect
Americanverb (used with object)
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expects,
present (3rd person singular)
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expected,
past participle, past
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expecting
present participle
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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.
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to look for with reason or justification.
We expect obedience.
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Informal. to suppose or surmise; guess.
I expect that you are tired from the trip.
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to anticipate the birth of (one's child).
Paul and Sylvia expect their second very soon.
idioms
verb
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to regard as probable or likely; anticipate
he expects to win
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to look forward to or be waiting for
we expect good news today
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to decide that (something) is requisite or necessary; require
the boss expects us to work late today
Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
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expectednessnoun
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expecternoun
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overexpectverb
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preexpectverb (used with object)
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expectableadjective
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unexpectableadjective
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unexpectingadjective
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expectablyadverb
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expectedlyadverb
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expectinglyadverb
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unexpectablyadverb
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unexpectinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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expectsimple
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expectssimple
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have expectedperfect
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has expectedperfect
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am expectingprogressive
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are expectingprogressive
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is expectingprogressive
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have been expectingperfect progressive
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has been expectingperfect progressive
Past
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expectedsimple
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had expectedperfect
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was expectingprogressive
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were expectingprogressive
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had been expectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
If you expect something, you think it’s going to happen. If you got up at 4 in the morning, you can expect to fall asleep earlier than usual tonight. If you expect (or anticipate) something, you are fairly sure that it is coming, though you might not be totally certain. You might expect to graduate from a certificate program on time, barring unforeseen events that prevent you from going to class. If you say, simply, “I’m expecting,” people will assume you’re pregnant. Someone disappointed in you might shake his head and say, "I expected more from you."
Vocabulary lists containing expect
"Eleven"
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List 5
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Think
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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.
See Examples For:
Economists expect core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy, to have risen 0.2% in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Dr Simon Cork, from Anglia Ruskin University, said while the weight-loss benefits of Foundayo were less than other treatments, patients could still expect to see "significant, clinically meaningful changes to their weight".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
As a result, scientists expect 2027 to become the warmest year on record globally, while 2026 is expected to become the second-warmest.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
I expect that to reverse over the next 18 months.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
His tone is somewhere between rebuking and resigned, as if he’s disappointed in me but didn’t expect to be otherwise.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The Congressional Budget Office expects them to rise to nearly 7% of GDP by 2036, at which point gross national debt is expected to be around 140% of GDP.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Chief Financial Officer Yemi Okupe said Hims & Hers expects its domestic business to keep accelerating through the back half of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The mission team expects to complete that work in the coming months.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
The world's third-largest aircraft manufacturer after Airbus and Boeing, Embraer said it expects about $110 million more in profits.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“No one expects her to behave like a grown woman yet, but she has to move into her husband’s house,” said Uncle Kufa.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Analysts had expected revenue of 884 million francs, according to Visible Alpha.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
The Fed held rates steady last month as broadly expected, but investors reacted with doubts when Warsh didn’t explain the decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
While some cloud breaks are expected, there will be large areas of cloud at times and even the risk of one or two showers.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
J&J remains a steady earnings grower, while Bristol-Myers faces an expected earnings decline as key patents lapse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
So far, meeting a creature from other lands wasn’t what he’d expected.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Generation Z remains the most optimistic, with 58% expecting to be financially prepared for retirement, though this is down from 63% in 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
Though June sales rebounded, the company cut its full-year sales outlook, now expecting a rise of 2.5% to 3.5%, down from a prior outlook of up 4% to 6%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
One emotion the work generated that she wasn’t expecting?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"We are expecting a high potential for lightning-caused wildfire starts, particularly in the central Interior and the Okanagan which are receiving limited precipitation and dry lightning," the service said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Coal rocked back on his heels toward the door again, expecting it to open as he got near, but nothing happened.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
