expect
verb (used with object)
to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of.
were expecting
-
past progressiveof expect.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The pace was in line with what economists were expecting after inflation the month before accelerated to the top end of the 1%-to-3% window the Bank of Canada aims for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
That came in above the $19.14 billion that analysts tracked by FactSet were expecting.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
For the November quarter, Oracle expects revenue to grow between 30% and 34% from the prior-year period, while analysts tracked by FactSet were expecting 31.9% growth on average.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Cleveland Police said they were expecting the event to cause traffic disruption and delays, adding it had plans in place to ensure public safety.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
“We were expecting Scythe Faraday,” her father said to the lavender-clad woman.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
