as in pregnant
containing unborn young within the body
the special nutritional needs of expecting women
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in anticipating
to believe in the future occurrence of (something)
we expect their arrival late this afternoon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expecting
Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026
Netflix and Hybe raffled off 22,000 tickets for cordoned seating dancing areas surrounding the stage, but the streamer and label were expecting at least 260,000 people to pour into the square and its surrounding streets.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026
But growth is not linear, and expecting dominance – especially in the Big 12 – is simply unrealistic.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Badosa has been one of the sport’s top players before, but Jovic played like someone who arrived expecting to control the pace.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Just a month ago, investors were expecting the Federal Reserve to cut its fed-funds interest rate at least once, if not twice this year, a move that would influence interest rates overall and indirectly drive down the cost of buying a home.
—Brian Cheung, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2026
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman went into the offseason expecting outfielder Kyle Tucker to sign elsewhere.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
That section was eliminated due to cost, with analysts expecting 421 investigations per year.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Internally, the Broncos’ brass went into free agency aligned without expecting to make a massive splash in the market.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
This news marks the first time the National Zoo has had an expecting Asian elephant in nearly 25 years.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
Verb
Ferrari’s new 849 Testarossa, unveiled in September and expecting first customer deliveries in the second quarter of this year, is a completely different beast.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2026
Netflix and Hybe raffled off 22,000 tickets for cordoned seating dancing areas surrounding the stage, but the streamer and label were expecting at least 260,000 people to pour into the square and its surrounding streets.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 21 Mar. 2026
But growth is not linear, and expecting dominance – especially in the Big 12 – is simply unrealistic.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Badosa has been one of the sport’s top players before, but Jovic played like someone who arrived expecting to control the pace.
—Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Just a month ago, investors were expecting the Federal Reserve to cut its fed-funds interest rate at least once, if not twice this year, a move that would influence interest rates overall and indirectly drive down the cost of buying a home.
—Brian Cheung, NBC news, 21 Mar. 2026
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman went into the offseason expecting outfielder Kyle Tucker to sign elsewhere.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
That section was eliminated due to cost, with analysts expecting 421 investigations per year.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Internally, the Broncos’ brass went into free agency aligned without expecting to make a massive splash in the market.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expecting
Adjective
-
Those most at risk to the heat included people over 60 years old, under 12 years old, or those pregnant, diabetic, having a heart condition.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The man charged in a 2023 shooting that killed a pregnant Seattle woman and her unborn baby has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That same day, Robert Walters, former chair of the Dallas Citizens Council, a prominent business group, emailed Tolbert a list of questions anticipating a potential City Hall move.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Schumacher said understanding why this winter was so warm in the West, as well as studying the heat wave, is crucial to better anticipating what’s ahead in the West.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Room by room, the author takes us through the house, now long gone.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Retaining Hall, 39, keeps one familiar face from Dart’s rookie year on the offensive side of the building for his second NFL season, with Brian Daboll, Mike Kafka and Shea Tierney all long gone.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The plan is awaiting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's final approval.—
Steven Beynon,
ABC News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The constitutionality of that executive order is currently awaiting a Supreme Court ruling.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Expecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expecting. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
