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Expect vs Waiting - What's the difference?

expect | waiting |

As verbs the difference between expect and waiting

is that 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) while waiting is .

As a noun waiting is

(obsolete) watching.

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

    Related terms

    * expectable * expectancy * expectant * expectation noun

    Statistics

    *

    External links

    * * *

    Anagrams

    * except 1000 English basic words

    waiting

    English

    (wikipedia waiting)

    Verb

    (head)
  • * 1874 , (John Fiske), Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy , I. 122.
    • In all ages, men have fought over words, without waiting to know what the words really signified.
  • *, chapter=19
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=At the far end of the houses the head gardener stood waiting for his mistress, and he gave her strips of bass to tie up her nosegay. This she did slowly and laboriously, with knuckly old fingers that shook.}}

    Derived terms

    * waiting game * waiting room

    Noun

  • (obsolete) Watching.
  • The act of staying or remaining in expectation.
  • * 1876 , , The New Day, A Poem in Songs and Sonnets
    • There was an awful waiting in the earth, / As if a mystery greatened to its birth.
  • Attendance, service.
  • *
    • Green glasses for hock, and excellent waiting at table.

    Derived terms

    * in waiting

    References

    *

    Statistics

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