Expect — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

regard something as probable or likely

consider obligatory; request and expect

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɛkspˈɛkt/

🇬🇧British English

/ɛkspˈɛkt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɛkspˈɛkt/

2 syllables Say it as /ɛkspˈɛkt/.

Examples

The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow
We require our secretary to be on time
Aren't we asking too much of these children?

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

carry anticipate gestate await ask require wait have a bun in the oven bear look

Parts of Speech

verb	regard something as probable or likely “The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow”
verb	consider obligatory; request and expect “We require our secretary to be on time”
verb	look forward to the probable occurrence of “We were expecting a visit from our relatives”
verb	consider reasonable or due “I'm expecting a full explanation as to why these files were destroyed”
verb	look forward to the birth of a child “She is expecting in March”
verb	be pregnant with “She is bearing his child”

Word Forms

expectant	adjective	marked by eager anticipation
expectation	noun	the feeling that something is about to happen
requirement	noun	required activity
expectancy	noun	something expected (as on the basis of a norm)
waiter	noun	a person who waits or awaits
gestation	noun	the period during which an embryo develops (about 266 days in humans)

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

erwarten

etwas für wahrscheinlich oder wahrscheinlich halten

🇫🇷French

attendre

considérer quelque chose comme probable ou probable

🇪🇸Spanish

esperar

considerar algo como probable o probable

🇮🇹Italian

aspettarsi

considerare qualcosa come probabile o verosimile

🇳🇱Dutch

verwachten

iets als waarschijnlijk of waarschijnlijk beschouwen

🇵🇹Portuguese

esperar

considerar algo como provável ou provável

🇷🇺Russian

ожидать

рассматривать что-либо как вероятное или вероятное

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अपेक्षा करना

किसी चीज़ को संभावित या संभावित मानना

🇧🇩Bengali

আশা করা

কিছুকে সম্ভাব্য বা সম্ভাবনা হিসাবে বিবেচনা করুন

🇮🇳Tamil

எதிர்பார்க்கலாம்

ஏதாவது சாத்தியமான அல்லது சாத்தியமானதாக கருதுங்கள்

🇮🇳Telugu

ఆశించవచ్చు

ఏదైనా సంభావ్యత లేదా అవకాశంగా పరిగణించండి

🇮🇳Marathi

अपेक्षा

काहीतरी संभाव्य किंवा संभाव्य म्हणून पहा

🇮🇳Gujarati

અપેક્ષા

કંઈક સંભવિત અથવા સંભવિત તરીકે ધ્યાનમાં લો

🇮🇳Kannada

ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಬಹುದು

ಯಾವುದನ್ನಾದರೂ ಸಂಭವನೀಯ ಅಥವಾ ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆ ಎಂದು ಪರಿಗಣಿಸಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുക

എന്തെങ്കിലും സാധ്യതയുള്ളതോ സാധ്യതയുള്ളതോ ആയി കണക്കാക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਉਮੀਦ

ਕਿਸੇ ਚੀਜ਼ ਨੂੰ ਸੰਭਾਵਿਤ ਜਾਂ ਸੰਭਾਵਤ ਸਮਝੋ

🇵🇰Urdu

توقع

کسی چیز کو ممکنہ یا امکان سمجھیں۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

预计

认为某事是可能的或可能的

🇯🇵Japanese

期待する

何かを可能性が高い、または可能性が高いと考える

🇰🇷Korean

예상하다

어떤 것을 가능성이 있는 것으로 간주하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

trông chờ

coi một cái gì đó là có thể xảy ra hoặc có khả năng

🇹🇭Thai

คาดหวัง

ถือว่าบางสิ่งเป็นไปได้หรือน่าจะเป็นไปได้

🇮🇩Indonesian

mengharapkan

menganggap sesuatu sebagai mungkin atau mungkin terjadi

🇵🇭Filipino

asahan

ituring ang isang bagay bilang malamang o malamang

🇲🇾Malay

jangkakan

menganggap sesuatu sebagai mungkin atau berkemungkinan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

يتوقع

اعتبار الشيء محتملًا أو محتملًا

🇮🇷Persian

انتظار می رود

چیزی را محتمل یا محتمل بدانند

🇹🇷Turkish

beklemek

bir şeyi olası veya muhtemel olarak görmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְצַפּוֹת

להתייחס למשהו כסביר או סביר

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'expect'?

The primary meaning of 'expect' is 'regard something as probable or likely'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'expect' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'expect' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'expect' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'expect' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'expect' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'expect' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'expect' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'expect' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'expect' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'expect' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted