expect, hope, look mean to await some occurrence or outcome. expect implies a high degree of certainty and usually involves the idea of preparing or envisioning.

Expect, hope or wait? We use expect to say that we believe that something will happen. We use expect in the following main patterns: …

EXPECT definition: to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of. See examples of expect used in a sentence.

To expect is to look forward to the likely occurrence or appearance of someone or something: "We should not expect something for nothing—but we all do and call it Hope" (Edgar W. Howe).

If you tell someone not to expect something, you mean that the thing is unlikely to happen as they have planned or imagined, and they should not hope that it will.

If you expect (or anticipate) something, you are fairly sure that it is coming, though you might not be totally certain. You might expect to graduate from a certificate program on time, barring unforeseen …

Mar 14, 2026 · expect (third-person singular simple present expects, present participle expecting, simple past and past participle expected) I expect to be able to walk again after getting over my broken leg. …

Definition of expect verb in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Find 89 different ways to say EXPECT, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.

Expect is a verb that refers to anticipating or looking forward to something happening in the future, either based on previous experiences, beliefs, or logical reasoning.