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Definitions

expect

[ik-spekt] / ɪkˈspɛkt /




Usage

What are other ways to say expect?

The verb expect implies confidently believing, usually for good reasons, that an event will occur: to expect a visit from a friend. To 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.

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:

But audiences should not expect to see the 24-year-old — best known for her macabre role in Netflix’s “Wednesday” — with a deadpan expression or in a morose mood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

“You would expect there to be criticism” of the Sundial article, said Robert Shibley, special counsel for campus advocacy at FIRE.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Although its actual temperature increased with depth, the rate of warming was much smaller than scientists would normally expect.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

Here is where I step off the easy celebration everyone else is writing, though not in the direction you might expect.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

“It sounds—retributive. Like they expect that you should be punished.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Schwarzman said the firm had anticipated the drop in net realizations and expects to have an “outstanding” 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Palantir stock is holding above a key technical level and Wall Street expects third-quarter earnings to move the stock higher.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

Carrier expects its equipment sales to data centers to reach about $2 billion this year, doubling for the second consecutive year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Cavanagh says he sees the softness as temporary, and expects performance to improve moving through 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Like the ending of a story, an ending in music is more satisfying if it follows certain customs that the listener expects to hear.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Players and spectators are expected to stand for it, if they can, and refrain from moving around.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Final repositories are being built in other countries, including neighbouring Sweden and in France, but Finland is expected to be first to open its underground storage facility.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

That’s expected to happen Saturday in Madrid at the European Society of Medical Oncology’s annual conference.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

Federal authorities said eight people had been arrested, with five of them expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Then, after seeing the run-down buildings and strip malls in Somewhere, I expected a dingy motel, like a place where long-haul truckers would stay.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Operating earnings, an adjusted figure which excludes one-off costs and exceptional items, amounted to 71 cents a share, surpassing the 64 cents a share that analysts were expecting, according to a FactSet poll.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

The Channel Islands are also expecting severe gales with gusts up to 80mph forecast, and some ferry services have already been cancelled.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Analysts weren’t expecting AT&T to top the 400,000 mark with its fiber-subscriber growth, but the company did so with ease, adding 442,000 net new customers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting $2.85 a share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

“It’s not like that. You took him by surprise. I don’t think he was expecting a champion foosball player, or that said champion would be his girlfriend’s guy friend.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam


Vocabulary lists containing expect

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