expectation

noun

Sayek-spek-TAY-shuhnUK/ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/AUS/ˌek.spekˈtæɪ.ʃən/

Pluralexpectations

8 meanings of expectation

Practice

1
nouncountable
The thing you think will happen, or what you hope to get.
Like a picture in your mind of what is coming.
The new movie met every expectation the fans had.
Her expectations of a warm welcome turned out to be right.
Similarhope, assumption, anticipation, belief, prediction
Note
2
noununcountable
The feeling of waiting for something you believe will soon happen.
Like the excited feeling before you open a present.
The crowd waited in quiet expectation for the show to begin.
There was a sense of expectation in the air before the results.
Similaranticipation, expectancy, suspense, eagerness
Note
3
nouncountable
A duty you quietly believe someone else should do for you, even if no one says it.
Like a rule no one wrote down but everyone is supposed to follow.
There was an unspoken expectation that the oldest child would help out.
He felt the weight of his family's expectations every day.
Similarobligation, requirement, demand, duty, assumption
Note
4
nounusually plural
A good chance of getting something fine later on, like money or a high rank.
Like counting on a prize you have not won yet.
The young heir lived on the expectation of his uncle's fortune.
Her expectations of a grand inheritance shaped every choice she made.
Similarprospect, hope, outlook
Note
5
nouncountable
The long-run average value you would get by repeating something many times.
Like guessing your average score if you played a game hundreds of times.
The expectation of a fair die roll is three and a half.
Gamblers often ignore the expectation of a bet and chase rare big wins.
Similarmean, average
Note
6
nouncountable
The worth of a chance to win something, based on an event that may or may not happen.
Like putting a price on a raffle ticket before the draw.
The lottery ticket's expectation was tiny next to its hopeful buyers.
He sold his expectation of the disputed estate for a quick payment.
Similarexpectancy, prospect
Note
7
nouncolloquialcountable
The average of some numbers, found by adding them and dividing by how many there are.
Like finding the middle by sharing a total evenly among everyone.
The teacher found the expectation of the test scores by averaging them.
To get the expectation, add the values and divide by their count.
Similarmean, average
Note

Less common meaning

8
nounrareuncountable
Letting an illness get better on its own, trusting the body instead of using treatment.
Like waiting for a small cut to heal by itself instead of seeing a doctor.
The old doctor favored expectation, letting fevers run their course.
In that village, expectation was often the only care the sick received.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of expectation apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Latin, from a word meaning "expect," through Middle French.