expect

[ik-spekt] /ɪkˈspɛkt/

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.

Idioms

be expecting, to be pregnant:

The cat is expecting again.

Origin

1550-60; < Latin ex(s)pectāre to look out for, await, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + spectāre to look at, frequentative of specere; see spectacle

Related forms

expectable, adjective

expectably, adverb

expectedly, adverb

expectedness, noun

expecter, noun

expectingly, adverb

overexpect, verb

preexpect, verb (used with object)

unexpectable, adjective

unexpectably, adverb

unexpecting, adjective

unexpectingly, adverb

Synonyms

1. Expect, anticipate, hope, await all imply looking to some future event. Expect implies confidently believing, usually for good reasons, that an event will occur: to expect a visit from a friend. Anticipate is to look forward to an event and even to picture it: Do you anticipate trouble? Hope implies a wish that an event may take place and an expectation that it will: to hope for the best. Await (wait for ) implies being alert and ready, whether for good or evil: to await news after a cyclone.

Usage note

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.

Examples from the web for expect

Let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back.
Some of yesterday's transportation disruptions were expected to continue today.
Be generous with your expected return time and always stick with the plan.
Fans of intense psychological dramas can expect to be emotionally drained by the time they reach the last chapter.
We can expect to see many similar advances in the near future.
Not only should we expect teachers to be scholars, we have a right to expect them to be productive and effective scholars.
However, I didn't expect them to validate that accusation so swiftly.
She echoed the views of other economists who expect a long-term economic shift.
Based on a handful of credible reports and some evidence, this time around we expect some interesting upgrades.
Being of such a high calibre I would expect a more original and fair approach to the issue.

British Dictionary definitions for expect

expect

/ɪkˈspɛkt/

verb (transitive; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)

to regard as probable or likely; anticipate: he expects to win

to look forward to or be waiting for: we expect good news today

to decide that (something) is requisite or necessary; require: the boss expects us to work late today

See also expecting

Derived Forms

expectable, adjective
expectably, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from Latin exspectāre to watch for, from spectāre to look at

Word Origin and History for expect

1550s, "wait, defer action," from Latin expectare/exspectare "await, look out for, desire, hope," from ex- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + spectare "to look," frequentative of specere "to look at" (see scope (n.1)).

Figurative sense of "anticipate, look forward to" developed in Latin, attested in English from c.1600. Used since 1817 as a euphemism for "be pregnant." Related: Expected; expecting.

expect in Technology

language, tool
A Unix tool written in Tcl and a script language for automating the operation of interactive applications such as telnet, FTP, passwd, fsck, rlogin, tip, etc.. Expect can feed input to other programs and perform pattern matching on their output. It is also useful for testing these applications. By adding Tk, you can also wrap interactive applications in X11 GUIs.
(https://expect.nist.gov/).
["expect: Scripts for Controlling Interactive Tasks", Don Libes, Comp Sys 4(2), U Cal Press Journals, Nov 1991].
(1997-06-09)

Idioms and Phrases with expect

expect

see: when least expected