expectation

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A belief that something will happen or that someone will do something, often with some hope.

   Grammar: Often plural in this sense: high expectations. Used with of or that.

   Patterns

   • the expectation of something
   • the expectation that something will happen

   There is no expectation of rain this weekend.

   She arrived with the expectation that the job would be easy.

   The result was above everyone's expectations.

2. 2nounusually plural

   A standard of behavior or achievement that other people think you should meet.

   Grammar: Often used with live up to, meet or exceed.

   Patterns

   • live up to expectations
   • meet someone's expectations

   He felt pressure to live up to his parents' expectations.

   The restaurant failed to meet expectations.

   Teachers set high expectations for the class.

3. 3nouncountablemathematicstechnical

   In statistics, the average value you would find if a random event were repeated many times.

   Grammar: A technical sense also called expected value.

   Patterns

   • the expectation of a variable

   The expectation of a fair die roll is 3.5.

   Students calculate the expectation of the random variable.

   The game's expectation is negative for the player.

Word forms

Common combinations

live up to expectations

The new phone did not live up to expectations.

exceed expectations

Sales exceeded expectations this quarter.

high expectations

They have high expectations for the new coach.

against all expectations

Against all expectations, the small team won.

manage expectations

It is wise to manage expectations before the launch.

in expectation of

The shops stocked up in expectation of a busy holiday.

Synonyms and how they differ

anticipation

Anticipation focuses on the feeling of looking forward, while expectation is the belief that something will happen.

hope

Hope is a wish that may not be likely, whereas expectation means you actually think it will happen.

assumption

Assumption is a belief taken as true without proof, and needs no sense of looking forward.

prospect

Prospect means a likelihood or possibility in the future, and is less about what a person demands.

Opposites

Word family

expect verb

to believe something will happen

expected adjective

thought likely to happen

unexpected adjective

surprising

expectant adjective

hopeful, or waiting for a baby

expectantly adverb

in a way that shows hope

Commonly confused: expectation or expectancy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “expectation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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