ENGLISH
REFERENCE

expecting

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ɪkˈspɛktɪŋ// UK //ɛkspˈɛktɪŋ// ex·pect·ing

v. to think that something will happen in the future. It is also a polite way to say a woman is pregnant.

v. to anticipate the occurrence of a future event or to believe that someone will arrive. When used in the continuous form without an object, it serves as a common euphemism for pregnancy.


SIMPLE

She is expecting a phone call from her doctor today.

CONTEXTUAL

The company is expecting a significant increase in sales during the holiday season.

COMPLEX

Economists are expecting the central bank to raise interest rates by half a percentage point in response to the latest inflation data.

Synonyms
Usage

Often used in the continuous form ('is expecting'). When used to mean pregnancy, it is typically intransitive.

Pitfall

I am expecting for the busI am expecting the busExpect is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'for' when referring to an anticipated event or arrival.

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