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View synonyms for

expect

[ ik-spekt ]

verb (used with object)

  1. 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.

  2. to look for with reason or justification:

    We expect obedience.

  3. Informal. to suppose or surmise; guess:

    I expect that you are tired from the trip.

  4. to anticipate the birth of (one's child):

    Paul and Sylvia expect their second very soon.



expect

/ ɪˈɛ /

verb

  1. to regard as probable or likely; anticipate

    he expects to win

  2. to look forward to or be waiting for

    we expect good news today

  3. to decide that (something) is requisite or necessary; require

    the boss expects us to work late today

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage Note

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.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ𳦳ٲ, adjective
  • ˈ𳦳ٲ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • ·𳦳a· adjective
  • ·𳦳a· adverb
  • ·𳦳Ļ· adverb
  • ·𳦳Ļ·Ա noun
  • ·𳦳İ noun
  • ·𳦳iԲ· adverb
  • v··𳦳 verb
  • e·𳦳 verb (used with object)
  • un·𳦳a· adjective
  • un·𳦳a· adverb
  • ܲe·𳦳iԲ adjective
  • un·𳦳iԲ· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of expect1

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin ()𳦳 “to look out for, await,” equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + 𳦳 “to look at,” frequentative of specere; spectacle
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Word History and Origins

Origin of expect1

C16: from Latin ex𳦳 to watch for, from 𳦳 to look at
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. be expecting, to be pregnant:

    The cat is expecting again.

More idioms and phrases containing expect

see when least expected .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

All the money will be made available to victims in the next five years, while the county expects to be paying for the bonds for the next 25 years.

From

Nonetheless, he said people should be expecting more of their robots.

From

SSE's own environmental impact assessment says it expects more than 31,000 bird collisions over the projected 35-year lifespan of the development.

From

The two countries were expected to enter talks about a new economic and security relationship after Monday's vote.

From

The show challenges you in ways you don’t expect, and it teaches you to adapt and push through whatever comes your way.

From

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When To Use

are other ways to say expect?

To expect something is to look forward to it or to regard it as likely to happen. How is expect different from anticipate, hope, and await? Learn more on .

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.

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