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# expecting

«expecting» in Mova's school dictionary: **pregnant, going to have a baby** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

phrase (adjective use of «expect»: be expecting, is expecting, was expecting; «expecting a baby»); verb (expect, expects, expected, expecting)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (euphemism) pregnant, going to have a baby. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#m1)

2) waiting for something you think will come or happen: «I'm expecting a parcel». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#m2)

3) thinking something will probably happen: «we're expecting rain». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

Used in place of the plainer «pregnant», which some people once felt was too blunt; polite and everyday, all regions, very common in family talk and gossip. In maths and science, «expecting» or «expected» means predicted: «the expected answer».

### examples

- My aunt is expecting, so I'm going to be a cousin! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x1)
- They announced they were expecting their second child. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x2)
- Is she expecting? She's been looking a bit tired. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x3)
- We're expecting twins in the autumn. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x4)
- I'm expecting a call from the dentist. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x5)
- The weather forecasters are expecting heavy snow tonight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x6)
- The teacher was expecting the answer to be 24. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x7)
- "Expecting what?" asked Tom, who didn't understand the grown-ups. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x8)
- We're expecting a bridegroom, but the confounded fellow has disappeared." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/#x9)

### note

Trap: «she is expecting» with no object means she is going to have a baby; «she is expecting a letter» means waiting. Don't guess the meaning without the object. Plain word: pregnant. In a word problem «expected» means the predicted number.

### In the corpora

- [Grown-ups often say "we're expecting" instead of "pregnant".](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/18-were-having-a-baby/1/)
- ["We're expecting" means a baby is growing inside Mum and will be born in a few months.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/18-were-having-a-baby/7/)
- [Pregnancy has many soft and funny names, from the polite "expecting" to the joking "a bun in the oven".](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/4-illness-disability-and-babies/3/)
- ["Expecting" means pregnant; it is polite.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/4-illness-disability-and-babies/18/)
- [Jake joins boxing «to get hard, innit», expecting the big lads to batter him.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/467-friends-through-games-and-clubs/15/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «expecting» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/expecting/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.