Difference Between Expect and Wait

Expect vs Wait

Expect and Wait are two verbs used in the English language that have to be understood with difference. These two verbs may look alike in their sense but strictly speaking there is some difference in their usage.

The verb ‘wait’ is used expressive of delay or time passing. Look at the two sentences given below:

1. Wait a minute.

2. Yesterday I had to wait one hour for the train to arrive in the railway station.

In both the sentences given above, the verb ‘wait’ is used suggestive of delay.

On the other hand the verb ‘expect’ is used when there is no idea of delay or something happening in advance. On the contrary it would only suggest that something is going to happen. Observe the two sentences given below:

1. He is expecting good news regarding his mother’s health.

2. I’ll expect you at exactly five o’clock.

Sometimes the verb ‘expect’ is used suggestive of ‘imagine’ as in the sentence ‘I expect you are angry with your neighbor.’ In this sentence the verb ‘expect’ is used in the sense of ‘imagine’ and the sentence only means ‘I imagine you are angry with your neighbor’.

The verb ‘wait’ on the other hand is used to convey the idea that somebody is too early or something is very late in its happening. Observe the two sentences given below:

1. I had to wait for two hours in the railway station to receive him as I reached it very early.

2. The bus arrived late and I had to wait for an hour in the bus stand.

When somebody says ‘I can’t wait any longer’, then the verb ‘wait’ is only suggestive of the quality of impatience on the part of the person. Both these verbs should be used with precision.