What does "expectation" mean?

1. (anticipation) the feeling or state of waiting for something to happen. 2. (standards or hopes) a strong belief about how someone should behave or what they should achieve. 3. (average value) the average result you would get if you repeated an experiment many times. 4. (natural healing) waiting for a disease to get better on its own without using strong medicine.

Is it correct to say "The movie didn't reach my expectations."?

No — say "The movie didn't live up to my expectations.". We usually use the phrasal verb 'live up to' or the verb 'meet' when talking about expectations.

expectation

US //ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃən// UK //ɛkspɪktˈeɪʃən// ex·pec·ta·tion

1 anticipation (n.)
B1 Intermediate

the feeling or state of waiting for something to happen.

the act or state of looking forward to an event as imminent or certain.

Example

There is a general expectation that the weather will improve by the weekend.

Example

The atmosphere in the stadium was thick with expectation as the fans waited for the championship match to begin.
- anticipation
- prospect
- surprise
- disbelief
2 standards or hopes (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a strong belief about how someone should behave or what they should achieve.

a standard of conduct or performance expected by others.

Example

My parents have high expectations for my final exam results.

Example

The new CEO struggled to meet the unrealistic expectations of the board members during her first quarter.
Pitfall

The movie didn't reach my expectations.

The movie didn't live up to my expectations.

We usually use the phrasal verb 'live up to' or the verb 'meet' when talking about expectations.

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3 average value (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Math

the average result you would get if you repeated an experiment many times.

the long-run average value of a random variable over many independent repetitions of an experiment.

Example

In this game of chance, the mathematical expectation is that you will lose money over time.

Example

The researcher calculated the mathematical expectation of the variable to determine the most likely outcome of the clinical trial.
- expected value
- mean
4 natural healing (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Archaic Medicine

waiting for a disease to get better on its own without using strong medicine.

the practice of leaving a disease to the natural healing efforts of the body rather than intervening with active treatment.

Example

The doctor suggested a period of expectation to see if the cough cleared up naturally.

Example

In historical medical texts, 'expectation' refers to a conservative approach where the physician monitors the patient without administering drugs.
- watchful waiting
- intervention

Origin

From Middle French expectation, from Latin exspectātiō, from exspectō (“expect”). By surface analysis, expect + -ation. Displaced native Old English wēn.