expectation

ex|pec|ta|tion [ ,ekspek`teıʃn ] noun count or uncount ***

1. ) the belief that something will happen:

expectation of: The team set off without any expectation of success.

in expectation of: His associate had given the information in expectation of a reduced penalty.

contrary to/against (all/someone's) expectations (=although something was not what you expected): Contrary to her expectations, Caroline found the show very entertaining.

in line with expectations (=the same as people expected): The rise in inflation is broadly in line with expectations.

2. ) usually plural a belief that something should happen in a particular way, or that someone or something should have particular qualities or behavior:

Mark and Susie went into marriage with very different expectations.

The two teachers have different expectations of their students.

exceed/surpass someone's expectations (=be better than someone expected): The success of the product has exceeded all our expectations.

beyond (all) expectations (=much better than expected): The team has performed beyond all expectations.

have high/low expectations (=expect something to be very good or very bad): parents with high expectations of their children

come up to/live up to/meet someone's expectations (=be as good as someone expected): We had heard so much about the restaurant, but it did not live up to our expectations.