half-expect

verb

Almost to expect; to think that something may happen, without being entirely sure.

“- I'm afraid we have no appointments available until next week. - Oh, that's all right; I half-expected that.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbhalf-expect (third-person singular simple present half-expects, present participle half-expecting, simple past and past participle half-expected)

present singular third person half-expects · participle present half-expecting · participle past half-expected · past half-expected

  1. Almost to expect; to think that something may happen, without being entirely sure.

    - I'm afraid we have no appointments available until next week. - Oh, that's all right; I half-expected that.

Origin

From half- + expect.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

half-expect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-expect

MLA

“half-expect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-expect. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “half-expect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/half-expect.

Source: half-expect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.