The verb _anticipate_ means “to take some action in preparation for or against what one is expecting.” _Anticipate_ is active, entailing some action, measure, or step.
The verb _expect_ means “to believe or think that something is imminent or probable.” _Expect_ is passive, entailing no action, only outlook.
Rudolf Flesch, the readability expert, lambasts writers who “use _anticipate_ instead of _expect_” just because “_anticipate_ has four syllables and _expect_ only two [and] _anticipate_ sounds more impressive.” Rudolf Flesch, _On Business Communications: How to Say What You Mean in Plain English_ (Barnes & Noble, 1972), 73.
But _expect_ and _anticipate_ aren’t synonyms. “When I expect something, I simply think it’s going to happen; but when I anticipate it, I act on that forecast and do something either to forestall it or to benefit from my foreknowledge.
A man who expects rain may cast a doubtful glance at the sky but take a chance; a man who anticipates rain takes an umbrella.” Flesch _On Business Communications_, 74.
A law firm expecting a surge in new clientele might do nothing but pray; one anticipating the surge will hire more associates.
A young man anticipating a tryst may pick a packet of you-know-what from the pharmacy, but one expecting a tryst sits on the couch watching TV .
