Library / English Dictionary

EXPECT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be pregnant with

Example:

I am carrying his child

Synonyms:

bear; carry; expect; gestate; have a bun in the oven

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "expect" is one way to...):

bear; birth; deliver; give birth; have (cause to be born)

"Expect" entails doing...:

conceive (become pregnant; undergo conception)

Verb group:

bear; birth; deliver; give birth; have (cause to be born)

expect (look forward to the birth of a child)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

expectant (in an advanced stage of pregnancy)

expectation (the feeling that something is about to happen)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Look forward to the birth of a child

Example:

She is expecting in March

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "expect" is one way to...):

await; expect; look; wait (look forward to the probable occurrence of)

Verb group:

bear; carry; expect; gestate; have a bun in the oven (be pregnant with)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

expectant (in an advanced stage of pregnancy)

expectation (anticipating with confidence of fulfillment)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Consider reasonable or due

Example:

I'm expecting a full explanation as to why these files were destroyed

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "expect" is one way to...):

consider; reckon; regard; see; view (deem to be)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

expectation (belief about (or mental picture of) the future)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Regard something as probable or likely

Example:

The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow

Synonyms:

anticipate; expect

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Hypernyms (to "expect" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Verb group:

await; expect; look; wait (look forward to the probable occurrence of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "expect"):

guess; imagine; opine; reckon; suppose; think (expect, believe, or suppose)

assume; presume; take for granted (take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof)

conjecture; hypothecate; hypothesise; hypothesize; speculate; suppose; theorise; theorize (to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds)

believe; trust (be confident about something)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They expect to move

Derivation:

expectant (marked by eager anticipation)

expectation (belief about (or mental picture of) the future)

expectation (the feeling that something is about to happen)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Look forward to the probable occurrence of

Example:

he is waiting to be drafted

Synonyms:

await; expect; look; wait

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Verb group:

anticipate; expect (regard something as probable or likely)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "expect"):

expect (look forward to the birth of a child)

look forward (expect or hope for)

look to (turn one's interests or expectations towards)

hang on; hold on; hold the line (hold the phone line open)

anticipate; look for; look to (be excited or anxious about)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s VERB-ing

Derivation:

expectancy (something expected (as on the basis of a norm))

expectant (marked by eager anticipation)

expectation (anticipating with confidence of fulfillment)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Consider obligatory; request and expect

Example:

I expect my students to arrive in time for their lessons

Synonyms:

ask; expect; require

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "expect" is one way to...):

demand (request urgently and forcefully)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "expect"):

call (require the presentation of for redemption before maturation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something from somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They expect him to write the letter

Derivation:

expectation (belief about (or mental picture of) the future)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Full of joy he took it to the king and expected that he would grant him the promised reward.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Ndao said he expects the device could eventually work in heat as extreme as 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (704 degrees Celsius), which could have major implications in many industries.

(Harnessing Heat to Power Computers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The discovery is expected to shed light on how the feathers of dinosaurs formed and evolved.

(Dinosaur Tail Found in Myanmar, VOA News)

I know you did; I know it all perfectly, but—Indeed, Mrs Smith, we must not expect to get real information in such a line.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

The targets are within the expected landing area at a distance of about three miles (five kilometers) from its center.

('Lost' 2003 Mars Lander Found by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA)

Wastewater from residential areas has similar or even higher levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes compared to hospitals, where you would expect greater antibiotic concentrations, he said.

(Toothpaste and Hand Wash Are Causing Antibiotic Resistance, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Of course that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantels and cabinets and drawing-room tables, but our lives are much pleasanter here in our own country.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

“You understand, seal-hunters are so new and strange to me that I am quite ready to expect anything.”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

One would have expected that they would silence Lady Brackenstall as well.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Lord Godalming and Mr. Morris arrived earlier than we expected.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)