What is another word for Expect?
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as in to anticipate
to believe in the future occurrence of (something)
we expect their arrival late this afternoon
Synonym Chooser
How does the verb expect contrast with its synonyms?
The words hope and look are common synonyms of expect. While all three words mean «to await some occurrence or outcome,» expect implies a high degree of certainty and usually involves the idea of preparing or envisioning.
expects to be finished by Tuesday
When would hope be a good substitute for expect?
The meanings of hope and expect largely overlap; however, hope implies little certainty but suggests confidence or assurance in the possibility that what one desires or longs for will happen.
When is it sensible to use look instead of expect?
The words look and expect can be used in similar contexts, but look, with to, implies assurance that expectations will be fulfilled; with for it implies less assurance and suggests an attitude of expectancy and watchfulness.
looks to a tidy profit from the sale
look for rain when the wind shifts to the northeast
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“Expect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expect. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Need another word that means the same as “expect”? Find 43 synonyms and 30 related words for “expect” in this overview.
Table Of Contents:
- Expect as a Verb
- Definitions of «Expect» as a verb
- Synonyms of «Expect» as a verb (43 Words)
- Usage Examples of «Expect» as a verb
- Associations of «Expect» (30 Words)
The synonyms of “Expect” are: anticipate, ask, require, await, look, wait, bear, carry, gestate, have a bun in the oven, look for, hope for, watch for, look forward to, look ahead to, have in prospect, suppose, presume, think it likely, think, believe, imagine, assume, conjecture, surmise, calculate, judge, ask for, call for, wish, want, i assume, i expect, i believe, i presume, i take it, i suppose, i imagine, i dare say, i would have thought, it is to be presumed, i guess, without doubt
Expect as a Verb
Definitions of «Expect» as a verb
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “expect” as a verb can have the following definitions:
- Regard something as probable or likely.
- Require (something) as rightfully due or appropriate in the circumstances.
- Consider reasonable or due.
- Require (someone) to fulfil an obligation.
- Look forward to the birth of a child.
- Believe that (someone or something) will arrive soon.
- Used to indicate that one supposes something to be so but has no firm evidence.
- Be pregnant with.
- Regard (someone) as likely to do or be something.
- Regard (something) as likely to happen.
- Look forward to the probable occurrence of.
- Consider obligatory; request and expect.
Synonyms of «Expect» as a verb (43 Words)
| anticipate | Be a forerunner of or occur earlier than. This composition anticipates Impressionism. |
| ask | Require or ask for as a price or condition. This job asks a lot of patience and skill. |
| ask for | Require or ask for as a price or condition. |
| assume | Suppose to be the case, without proof. I assume his train was late. |
| await | Wait for (an event. We await the proposals with impatience. |
| bear | Have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices. She could hardly bear his sarcasm. |
| believe | Follow a credo have a faith be a believer. There are those on the fringes of the Church who do not really believe. |
| calculate | Predict in advance. The program can calculate the number of words that will fit in the space available. |
| call for | Utter a characteristic note or cry. |
| carry | Have with oneself; have on one’s person. Do you carry kerosene heaters. |
| conjecture | To believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds. Many conjectured that the jury could not agree. |
| gestate | (of a fetus) undergo gestation. Rabbits gestate for approximately twenty eight days. |
| have a bun in the oven | Have left. |
| have in prospect | Get something; come into possession of. |
| hope for | Expect and wish. |
| i assume | Put clothing on one’s body. |
| i believe | Judge or regard; look upon; judge. |
| i dare say | Take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission. |
| i expect | Consider obligatory; request and expect. |
| i guess | Put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation. |
| i imagine | Form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case. |
| i presume | Constitute reasonable evidence for. |
| i suppose | Require as a necessary antecedent or precondition. |
| i take it | Interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression. |
| i would have thought | Serve oneself to, or consume regularly. |
| imagine | Form a mental image or concept of. She imagined him at his desk his head in his hands. |
| it is to be presumed | Happen, occur, take place. |
| judge | Put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of. It is hard to judge whether such opposition is justified. |
| look | Of a building or room have an outlook in a specified direction. He just didn t look himself at all. |
| look ahead to | Perceive with attention; direct one’s gaze towards. |
| look for | Look forward to the probable occurrence of. |
| look forward to | Look forward to the probable occurrence of. |
| presume | Be arrogant or impertinent enough to do something. I presumed that the man had been escorted from the building. |
| require | Require as useful just or proper. Success usually requires hard work. |
| suppose | Expect believe or suppose. Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps. |
| surmise | Imagine to be the case or true or probable. I don t think they re locals she surmised. |
| think | Decide by pondering, reasoning, or reflecting. She didn t think to harm me. |
| think it likely | Expect, believe, or suppose. |
| wait | Wait before acting. We re waiting for Allan to get back. |
| want | Feel or have a desire for want strongly. I ll give you a lift into town if you want. |
| watch for | Observe with attention. |
| wish | Order politely express a wish for. They wish to become involved. |
| without doubt | Consider unlikely or have doubts about. |
Usage Examples of «Expect» as a verb
- We expect employers to pay a reasonable salary.
- The hearing is expected to last a week.
- We were expecting a visit from our relatives.
- Celia was expecting a visitor.
- I’m expecting a full explanation as to why these files were destroyed.
- She is expecting in March.
- The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow.
- I expect my students to arrive in time for their lessons.
- They were not expecting him to continue.
- They’re just friends of his, I expect.
- One might expect that Hollywood would adjust its approach.
- The are expecting another child in January.
- We expect great things of you.
- It’s as well to expect the worst.
- I expect you know them?
Associations of «Expect» (30 Words)
| anticipate | Be excited or anxious about. She anticipated scorn on her return to the theatre. |
| anticipation | The action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction. They manned the telephones in anticipation of a flood of calls. |
| anticipatory | In anticipation. An anticipatory flash of excitement. |
| aspirant | An ambitious and aspiring young person. A lofty aspirant. |
| assume | Seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one’s right or possession. It is reasonable to assume that such changes have significant social effects. |
| assumption | The act of taking possession of or power over something. Your assumption that I would agree was unwarranted. |
| astrologer | Someone who predicts the future by the positions of the planets and sun and Moon. He was advised by astrologers to delay his departure. |
| conjecture | (in textual criticism) the suggestion of a reading of a text not present in the original source. A matter for conjecture. |
| envisage | Form a mental picture of (something not yet existing or known. The Rome Treaty envisaged free movement across frontiers. |
| expectancy | An expectation. An indicator of expectancy in development. |
| expectation | The feeling that something is about to happen. I sat down in expectation of a feast of nostalgia. |
| forebode | (of a situation or occurrence) act as an advance warning of (something bad. This lull foreboded some new assault upon him. |
| forecast | A prediction about how something (as the weather) will develop. Coal consumption in Europe is forecast to increase. |
| forecasting | A statement made about the future. |
| foresee | Act in advance of; deal with ahead of time. It is impossible to foresee how life will work out. |
| foretell | Predict (the future or a future event. A seer had foretold that the earl would assume the throne. |
| guess | Guess correctly solve by guessing. She s guessed where we re going. |
| guesswork | The process or results of guessing. Answering this question will involve you in a certain amount of guesswork. |
| hopeful | Feeling or inspiring optimism about a future event. He remained hopeful that something could be worked out. |
| preconception | A preconceived idea or prejudice. He did not even try to confirm his preconceptions. |
| predict | Make a prediction about tell in advance. He predicts that the trend will continue. |
| prediction | A statement made about the future. A prediction that economic growth would resume. |
| presume | Constitute reasonable evidence for. I presumed that the man had been escorted from the building. |
| presuppose | Tacitly assume at the beginning of a line of argument or course of action that something is the case. Their original prediction presupposed a universe only three billion years old. |
| prognosticate | Make a prediction about; tell in advance. The economists were prognosticating financial Armageddon. |
| prophecy | A prediction uttered under divine inspiration. The gift of prophecy. |
| prophesy | Say that (a specified thing) will happen in the future. Jacques was prophesying a bumper harvest. |
| speculation | An investment that is very risky but could yield great profits. This is pure speculation on my part. |
| suppose | Expect believe or suppose. I presuppose that you have done your work. |
| supposition | A hypothesis that is taken for granted. Their outrage was based on supposition and hearsay. |