If you expect that something will happen, you believe that it will happen.
You can sometimes use a to-infinitive after expect instead of a that-clause. For example, instead of saying 'I expect Johnson will come to the meeting', you can say 'I expect Johnson to come to the meeting'. However, the meaning is not quite the same. If you say 'I expect Johnson will come to the meeting', you are simply saying that you think he will come. If you say 'I expect Johnson to come to the meeting', you are showing that you want Johnson to come to the meeting and that you will be annoyed or disappointed if he does not come.
Instead of saying you 'expect something will not' happen, you usually say you do not expect it will happen or do not expect it to happen.
If you expect something is true, you think it is probably true.
Instead of saying you 'expect something is not' true, you usually say you do not expect it is true.
If someone asks if something is true, you can say I expect so.
Be Careful!
Don't say 'I expect it'.
If you are expecting someone or something, you believe that they are going to arrive or happen.
When expect is used like this, don't use a preposition after it.
Don't confuse expect with wait for. If you are waiting for someone or something, you are remaining in the same place or delaying doing something until they arrive or happen.
When you look forward to something that is going to happen, you feel happy because you think you will enjoy it.
| Imperative |
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| expect |
| expect |
| Verb | 1. | expect - regard something as probable or likely; "The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow"guess, reckon, suppose, think, imagine, opine - expect, believe, or suppose; "I imagine she earned a lot of money with her new novel"; "I thought to find her in a bad state"; "he didn't think to find her in the kitchen"; "I guess she is angry at me for standing her up" assume, presume, take for granted - take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof; "I assume his train was late" hypothesise, hypothesize, speculate, conjecture, theorise, theorize, hypothecate, suppose - to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds; "Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps" pass judgment, evaluate, judge - form a critical opinion of; "I cannot judge some works of modern art"; "How do you evaluate this grant proposal?" "We shouldn't pass judgment on other people" |
| 2. | expect - consider obligatory; request and expect; "We require our secretary to be on time"; "Aren't we asking too much of these children?"; "I expect my students to arrive in time for their lessons" demand - request urgently and forcefully; "The victim's family is demanding compensation"; "The boss demanded that he be fired immediately"; "She demanded to see the manager" call - require the presentation of for redemption before maturation; "Call a bond" | |
| 3. | expect - look forward to the probable occurrence of; "We were expecting a visit from our relatives"; "She is looking to a promotion"; "he is waiting to be drafted"expect - look forward to the birth of a child; "She is expecting in March" anticipate, expect - regard something as probable or likely; "The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow" look forward - expect or hope for; "I look to hear from you soon" look to - turn one's interests or expectations towards; "look to the future"; "this method looks to significant wavings" hold the line, hang on, hold on - hold the phone line open; "Please hang on while I get your folder" | |
| 4. | expect - consider reasonable or due; "I'm expecting a full explanation as to why these files were destroyed" | |
| 5. | expect - look forward to the birth of a child; "She is expecting in March"have a bun in the oven, gestate, expect, bear, carry - be pregnant with; "She is bearing his child"; "The are expecting another child in January"; "I am carrying his child" | |
| 6. | expect - be pregnant with; "She is bearing his child"; "The are expecting another child in January"; "I am carrying his child"expect - look forward to the birth of a child; "She is expecting in March" |