expect
[verb]
Synonyms:
- think, assume, believe, imagine, presume, reckon, suppose, surmise, trust
- look forward to, anticipate, await, contemplate, envisage, hope for, predict, watch for
- require, call for, demand, insist on, want

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Antonyms: despair (of)
Related Idioms: bargain on (or for), look for
Related Words: anticipate, apprehend, divine, foreknow, foresee, feel, sense, presume, presuppose

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ex‧pect S1 W1 /ɪkˈspekt/ verb [transitive]
[Word Family: noun: expectancy, expectation; adverb: expectantly, unexpectedly; adjective: expectant, expected ≠ unexpected; verb: expect]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: exspectare 'to look forward to', from spectare 'to look at']

1. THINK SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN to think that something will happen because it seems likely or has been planned
expect to do something
I expect to be back within a week.
The company expects to complete work in April.
expect somebody/something to do something
Emergency repairs were expected to take three weeks.
I didn’t expect him to stay so long.
expect (that)
There’s the doorbell – I expect it’ll be my mother.
He will be hard to beat. I fully expect (=am completely sure about) that and I’m ready.
‘Who are you?’ he murmured, only half expecting (=thinking it was possible, but not likely) her to answer.
He didn’t get his expected pay rise.
as expected (=in the way that was planned or thought likely to happen)
As expected, the whole family was shocked by the news.
something is (only) to be expected (=used to say that you are not surprised by something, especially something unpleasant)
A little nervousness is only to be expected when you are starting a new job.

2. DEMAND to demand that someone does something because it is a duty or seems reasonable
expect something from somebody
The officer expects complete obedience from his troops.
expect somebody to do something
I can’t expect her to be on time if I’m late myself.
expect a lot of somebody/expect too much of somebody (=think someone can do more than may be possible)
The school expects a lot of its students.

3. THINK SOMEBODY/SOMETHING WILL ARRIVE to believe that someone or something is going to arrive:
We’re expecting Alison home any minute now.
Snow is expected by the weekend.
an expected crowd of 80,000 people

4. THINK to think that you will find that someone or something has a particular quality or does a particular thing:
I expected her to be taller than me, not shorter.

5. be expecting (a baby) if a woman is expecting, she is going to have a baby

6. what can/do you expect? spoken used to say that you are not surprised by something unpleasant or disappointing:
He was late, but what do you expect?

7. how do/can you expect ...? spoken used to say that it is unreasonable to think that something will happen or be true:
If I can’t help her, how can you expect to?

8. I expect British English spoken used to introduce or agree with a statement that you think is probably true:
I expect you’re right.
‘Do you think they’re going to attack?’ ‘I expect so.’

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

expect
verb
ADV. confidently She confidently expects to win.
fully My parents fully expect us to get married.
not really I didn't really expect them to come.
half I was half expecting to see Jim at the concert.
honestly Did you honestly expect me to believe that?
VERB + EXPECT be reasonable to, can, can realistically, can reasonably We can expect to see an improvement in the weather over the next few days.
be unrealistic to, be unreasonable to, can hardly It would be unreasonable to expect them to do all that work for free. You can hardly expect to learn a foreign language in a few months.
would, would normally I would expect the factory to be working again as normal by next week.
be entitled to You are entitled to expect certain minimum standards of accommodation.
PREP. from We expect good results from our employees.
PHRASES (only) to be expected This kind of behaviour is to be expected from a two-year-old.
expect a lot/too much of sb I think my parents always expected too much of me.
when you least expect sth An accident can happen anywhere, at any time, just when you least expect it.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

expect

fully expect (=completely)
We fully expected to win.
confidently expect (=with a feeling of confidence)
He confidently expected to be elected again.
half expect (=partly, but not completely)
He walked slowly towards the box, half expecting it to explode.
really expect (=definitely)
I didn’t really expect her to come.
honestly expect (=really expect)
Do you honestly expect me to look after the kids while you go on holiday?
hardly expect (=almost not)
You can hardly expect a child of three to know the difference between right and wrong.
rightly expect (=with good reason)
The public rightly expects government officials to be honest.
as expected (=in the way that was planned or thought likely to happen)
Tickets have not been selling as well as expected.
something is (only) to be expected (=used to say that you are not surprised by something unpleasant)
After all this rain, some flooding is only to be expected.
something happens when you least expect it
Bad luck tends to happen when you least expect it.
somebody is entitled to expect something (=have the right to think something will happen)
You’re entitled to expect decent service at these prices.
it is reasonable/unreasonable to expect something
It’s unreasonable to expect a tenant to pay for repairs to the outside of the house.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

expect
verb
1.
BAD: After a few minutes he stopped speaking and expected their reaction.
GOOD: After a few minutes he stopped speaking and waited for their reaction.
BAD: She was standing by the reception desk, expecting a taxi.
GOOD: She was standing by the reception desk, waiting for a taxi.

Usage Note:
Use expect when you are talking about what someone thinks: 'We expected that the hotels in London would be very expensive, and we were right.' 'No one expected the President to resign.'
Use wait for when you are talking about what someone does: 'How long do you usually have to wait for a bus?' 'I sat down and waited for my name to be called.'

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2.
BAD: I expect that you will be able to come to the party.
GOOD: I hope that you will be able to come to the party.

Usage Note:
Use expect when you have a reason for thinking that something is going to happen: 'Her husband doesn't like travelling so I expect she'll come on her own.'
Use hope to express a wish: 'I hope you have a safe journey.'

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3.
BAD: I expect your visit and hope that you will be writing soon with the details.
GOOD: I'm looking forward to your visit and hope that you will be writing soon with the details.

Usage Note:
To say that you feel happy or excited about a future event, use look forward to : 'I'm really looking forward to this trip to Japan.' 'I look forward to meeting you at the Frankfurt Book Fair.'
Note that look forward to (NOT expect ) is often used at the end of a letter: 'I look forward to hearing from you.'

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4.
BAD: You can expect that you won't be put in the same class as Helga.
GOOD: You can't expect to be put in the same class as Helga.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲