What does "expect" mean?

1. (to predict or believe) to think that something will happen in the future. 2. (to require or demand) to feel that someone should do something because it is their duty or a rule. 3. (to be pregnant) to be pregnant and waiting for a baby to be born.

expect — meaning, definition & examples

Q: How do you use "expect"?

Often followed by an object and a to-infinitive. Commonly used in professional or formal contexts to outline duties. Almost always used in the continuous form ('is expecting').

Q: Is it correct to say "I am expecting that he arrives soon."?

No — say "I expect him to arrive soon.". While 'expect that' is possible, 'expect [someone] to [do something]' is the more common and natural pattern for personal expectations.

Word

01to predict or believe

A2 · Elementary

v. to think that something will happen in the future.

v. to anticipate or predict the occurrence of a future event based on probability or evidence.

“We expect the weather to be sunny for our picnic tomorrow.”

“Economists expect the inflation rate to stabilise by the third quarter, provided that global supply chains remain uninterrupted.”

Usage

Often followed by an object and a to-infinitive.

Pitfall

I am expecting that he arrives soon.

I expect him to arrive soon.

While 'expect that' is possible, 'expect [someone] to [do something]' is the more common and natural pattern for personal expectations.

Synonyms

anticipate predict await

02to require or demand

B1 · Intermediate

v. to feel that someone should do something because it is their duty or a rule.

v. to consider something as obligatory or required by social, professional, or moral standards.

“The teacher expects all students to arrive on time for the exam.”

“The board of directors expects full transparency from the executive team regarding the recent budget discrepancies.”

Usage

Commonly used in professional or formal contexts to outline duties.

Synonyms

require demandinsist on

03to be pregnant

B1 · Intermediate

v. to be pregnant and waiting for a baby to be born.

v. to be pregnant; used in the progressive form to indicate a child is due.

“They are expecting their first child in early September.”

“The couple announced they were expecting twins, much to the delight of their extended family.”

Usage

Almost always used in the continuous form ('is expecting').

Teaching tip

This is a polite, slightly softer way to say someone is pregnant.

Synonyms

be pregnant

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “expect” in context.

01. expect gain 02. generally expect

expect vs wait

Wait is the physical act of staying in one place or letting time pass; expect is the mental belief that something will happen.

RememberWait is for the clock; expect is for the mind.

From Latin expectāre, infinitive form of exspectō (“look out for, await, expect”), from ex (“out”) + spectō (“look at”), frequentative of speciō (“see”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

expect(A2)

NOUN

ADJECTIVE