expect
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.
“Fears of reduced spending, however, look unfounded. “Even if Trump doesn’t get his full $1.5 trillion, investors can expect defense spending growth for years to come,” wrote Morgan Stanley analyst Kristine Liwag on Monday.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
And he doesn’t expect supply and demand for HDDs to reach parity until 2029, which is 12 months beyond his original estimate.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
SoCal residents can expect up to 1 inch of rain, Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
"We've already been given notice by suppliers and partners to expect some price increases," he said.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
“Those aren’t bombs,” he said, “and certainly not guns. That’s demolition work. Germans. They’re probably blowing up bridges. It means they expect an attack but not that it’s here. It might not come for weeks.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
