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⇱ expected - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ex•pect /ɪkˈspɛkt/USA pronunciation   v. [~ + object]
    • to anticipate the occurrence or the coming of:We are expecting fifty guests.
    • [not: be + ~-ing] to believe or think: [~ + (that) clause]We expect that fifty guests will come.[~ + object + to + verb]We expect fifty guests to come to the party.[~ + to + verb]I expect to get there on time.
  2. Informal. to suppose;
    guess;
    presume:[not: be + ~-ing;usually: I + ~;~ + clause]I expect you know who I'm talking about.
Idioms
  1. Idioms be expecting, to be pregnant:She's expecting and is due to give birth in August.

See -spec-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ex•pect  (ik spekt′),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  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 Termsto 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.

v.i. 
  1. Idioms be expecting, to be pregnant:The cat is expecting again.
  • Latin ex(s)pectāre to look out for, await, equivalent. to ex- ex-1 + spectāre to look at, frequentative of specere; see spectacle
  • 1550–60
ex•pect′a•ble, adj. 
ex•pect′a•bly, adv. 
ex•pect′ed•ly, adv. 
ex•pect′ed•ness, n. 
ex•pect′er, n. 
ex•pect′ing•ly, adv. 
    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.
    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.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
expect /ɪkˈspɛkt/ vb (transitive; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)
  1. to regard as probable or likely; anticipate
  2. to look forward to or be waiting for
  3. to decide that (something) is requisite or necessary; require: the boss expects us to work late today
Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin exspectāre to watch for, from spectāre to look atexˈpectable adj
'expected' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "expected" in the title:

< As> might be expected,
,<if expected>,
...are expected to add (or "to be added")to the debate
...than I had expected it to be.
“He didn’t do anything of what was expected of him.” ...anything of what he was expected to do.”
(the) students are expected to take their turn
2- She did bad in the tests than she expected but better in
700,000 fewer jobs would <be><have been> created than might <be><have been> expected.
A change which has been expected to be made for the last 100 years
a far weaker than expected 4.9 per cent
"A height is as much as can reasonably be expected" Where is the subject?
a similar behaviour is expected
a situation or a subject far from what you expected [Animal Idiom]
a slower than expected 2.9%
A turn out for what is being built as a weekend of descant was lower than expected
A worsening of the plight of deer was to be expected...
<about preparing dinner> she couldn't be expected to wait ()
Absence of what is primarily expected
Adversity is to be expected
After completed, the project is expected.....
All papers are expected to be grammatically correct.
An adjective that means "more than expected"
an expected Christian
are due/expected to arrive
are expected / are being expected
are expected to be kept
are expected/will be expected
as discussed on the phone/As expected
as expected
As expected of
more...

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