diff --git a/pkg/expect/expect.go b/pkg/expect/expect.go
index b7e2978af5c2..088bb916bfbc 100644
--- a/pkg/expect/expect.go
+++ b/pkg/expect/expect.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"syscall"
@@ -224,7 +225,23 @@ func (ep *ExpectProcess) ExpectFunc(ctx context.Context, f func(string) bool) (s
 
 // ExpectWithContext returns the first line containing the given string.
 func (ep *ExpectProcess) ExpectWithContext(ctx context.Context, s string) (string, error) {
-	return ep.ExpectFunc(ctx, func(txt string) bool { return strings.Contains(txt, s) })
+	return ep.ExpectFunc(ctx, func(txt string) bool {
+		if strings.Contains(txt, s) {
+			return true
+		}
+
+		if strings.HasPrefix(s, "EXPR") {
+			s = s[4:]
+		} else {
+			return false
+		}
+
+		r, err := regexp.Compile(s)
+		if err != nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		return r.MatchString(txt)
+	})
 }
 
 // Expect returns the first line containing the given string.
diff --git a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_test.go b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_test.go
index ddd1da103dcd..3e0d383d223a 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_test.go
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func testV3CurlTxn(cx ctlCtx) {
 	if jerr != nil {
 		cx.t.Fatal(jerr)
 	}
-	expected := `"succeeded":true,"responses":[{"response_put":{"header":{"revision":"2"}}}]`
+	expected := `EXPR.*"succeeded":true,\s*"responses":\[{"response_put":{"header":{"revision":"2"}}}].*`
 	p := cx.apiPrefix
 	if err := e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{Endpoint: path.Join(p, "/kv/txn"), Value: string(jsonDat), Expected: expected}); err != nil {
 		cx.t.Fatalf("failed testV3CurlTxn txn with curl using prefix (%s) (%v)", p, err)
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ func testV3CurlTxn(cx ctlCtx) {
 
 	// was crashing etcd server
 	malformed := `{"compare":[{"result":0,"target":1,"key":"Zm9v","TargetUnion":null}],"success":[{"Request":{"RequestPut":{"key":"Zm9v","value":"YmFy"}}}]}`
-	if err := e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{Endpoint: path.Join(p, "/kv/txn"), Value: malformed, Expected: `"code":3,"message":"etcdserver: key not found"`}); err != nil {
+	if err := e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{Endpoint: path.Join(p, "/kv/txn"), Value: malformed, Expected: `EXPR.*"code":3,\s*"message":"etcdserver: key not found".*`}); err != nil {
 		cx.t.Fatalf("failed testV3CurlTxn put with curl using prefix (%s) (%v)", p, err)
 	}