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 expecting

It is time to break the bad habit of expecting something for nothing, from our government or from each other.
People are always expecting to get peace in heaven: but you know whatever peace they get there will be ready-made.
The uneasy and excited inhabitants were expecting them.
One night he started to return late, expecting to reach the plantation in time for his daily task on the morrow.
Marketing, advertising, and public relations were also expecting to see strong hiring growth.
They aren't asking for any money, but nor are they sending it out to reviewers or expecting any revisions.
The faculty at my university was abysmally low and everyone was expecting conditions to deteriorate.
The college is expecting to convert to its new governance structure during the summer.
expecting students who might be grappling with unfamiliar material to have quick and ready answers is often unrealistic.
It should be available to anyone, certainly, but expecting universal enrollment is unrealistic.

British Dictionary definitions for expecting

expecting

/ɪkˈspɛktɪŋ/

adjective

(informal) pregnant

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

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.

Idioms and Phrases with expecting

expect

see: when least expected