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Foresight vs Expect - What's the difference?

foresight | expect |

As a noun foresight

is the ability to foresee or prepare wisely for the future.

As a verb 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).

foresight

English

Noun

(-)
  • The ability to foresee or prepare wisely for the future.
    • Having the foresight to prepare an evacuation plan may have saved their lives.
  • the front sight on a rifle or similar weapon
  • (surveying) a bearing taken forwards towards a new object

    • Synonyms

    * (ability to foresee or prepare wisely for the future) prescience, foreknowledge, divination, clairvoyance, prophecy

    Antonyms

    * hindsight

    Derived terms

    * (l) * (l)

    Related terms

    * foresee * backsight

    Anagrams

    * English abstract nouns

    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

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    External links

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    Anagrams

    * except 1000 English basic words