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What is the difference between anticipate and expect?

anticipate | expect |

Expect is a synonym of anticipate.



As verbs the difference between anticipate and expect

is that anticipate is to act before (someone), especially to prevent an action while expect is to look for (mentally); to look forward to, as to something that is believed to be about to happen or come; to have a previous apprehension of, whether of good or evil; to look for with some confidence; to anticipate; -- often followed by an infinitive, sometimes by a clause (with, or without, that).

anticipate

English

Verb

(anticipat)
  • To act before (someone), especially to prevent an action.
  • To anticipate and prevent the duke's purpose. --R. Hall.
    He would probably have died by the hand of the executioner, if indeed the executioner had not been anticipated by the populace. -- .
  • to take up or introduce (something) prematurely.
  • The advocate plans to anticipate a part of her argument.
  • to know of (something) before it happens; to expect.
  • to anticipate the pleasures of a visit
    to anticipate the evils of life
    Please anticipate a journey of an hour from your house to the airport
  • * {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
  • , title=The Dust of Conflict , chapter=31 citation , passage=The task was more to Appleby's liking than the one he had anticipated , and it was necessary, since the smaller merchants in Cuba and also in parts of Peninsular Spain have no great confidence in bankers, and prefer a packet of golden onzas or a bag of pesetas to the best accredited cheque.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011
  • , date=October 2 , author=Jonathan Jurejko , title=Bolton 1 - 5 Chelsea , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=And with Bolton suffering a wretched run of five straight home defeats - their worst run in 109 years - Chelsea fans would have been forgiven for expecting a comfortable win.
    But surely they did not anticipate the ease with which their team raced into an almost impregnable half-time lead.}}
  • to eagerly wait for (something)
  • Little Johnny started to anticipate the arrival of Santa Claus a week before Christmas.

    Usage notes

    The words anticipate'' and ''expect'' both regard some future event as likely to take place. Nowadays they are often used interchangeably although ''anticipate is associated with acting because of an expectation. (E.g. skilled sportsmen anticipate the action and position themselves accordingly.)

    Synonyms

    * (to act before someone) preclude * (to take up or introduce something prematurely) * (to know of something before it manifests) expect, foretaste, foresee * (to eagerly await something) look forward to

    expect

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To look for (mentally); to look forward to, as to something that is believed to be about to happen or come; to have a previous apprehension of, whether of good or evil; to look for with some confidence; to anticipate; -- often followed by an infinitive, sometimes by a clause (with, or without, that).
  • *, chapter=13
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=“[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.}}
  • To consider obligatory or required.
  • To consider reasonably due.
  • To be pregnant, to consider a baby due.
  • (obsolete) To wait for; to await.
  • * (rfdate) (William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616):
  • Let's in, and there expect their coming.
  • *1825 , (Walter Scott), , A. and C. Black (1868), 24-25:
  • The knight fixed his eyes on the opening with breathless anxiety, and continuing to kneel in the attitude of devotion which the place and scene required, expected the consequence of these preparations.
  • (obsolete) To wait; to stay.
  • (Sandys)

    Usage notes

    * Expect'' is a mental act and has always a reference to the future, to some coming event; as a person expects to die, or he expects to survive. ''Think]]'' and ''believe'' have reference to the past and present, as well as to the future; as I think the mail has arrived; I believe he came home yesterday, that he is he is at home now. There is a not uncommon use of ''expect'', which is a confusion of the two; as, I expect the mail has arrived; I expect he is at home. This misuse should be avoided. ''[[await, Await'' is a physical or moral act. We await that which, when it comes, will affect us personally. We expect what may, or may not, interest us personally. See ''anticipate . * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See

    Synonyms

    * anticipate * look for * await * hope

    Derived terms

    * expected adjective * expecting adjective * unexpected

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

    * except 1000 English basic words