diff --git a/lib/repl.js b/lib/repl.js
index 2c952cfbf7..a7452b8ec7 100644
--- a/lib/repl.js
+++ b/lib/repl.js
@@ -628,7 +628,7 @@ ArrayStream.prototype.write = function() {};
 
 const requireRE = /\brequire\s*\(['"](([\w\.\/-]+\/)?([\w\.\/-]*))/;
 const simpleExpressionRE =
-    /^\s*(([a-zA-Z_$](?:\w|\$)*)\.)*([a-zA-Z_$](?:\w|\$)*)\.?$/;
+    /(([a-zA-Z_$](?:\w|\$)*)\.)*([a-zA-Z_$](?:\w|\$)*)\.?$/;
 
 function intFilter(item) {
   // filters out anything not starting with A-Z, a-z, $ or _
@@ -806,7 +806,8 @@ REPLServer.prototype.complete = function(line, callback) {
           });
         }
       } else {
-        this.eval(expr, this.context, 'repl', function(e, obj) {
+        const evalExpr = `try { ${expr} } catch (e) {}`;
+        this.eval(evalExpr, this.context, 'repl', function(e, obj) {
           // if (e) console.log(e);
 
           if (obj != null) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js b/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js
index 0c18d8e11c..eb4e68ad18 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js
@@ -3,19 +3,13 @@
 var common = require('../common');
 var assert = require('assert');
 var repl = require('repl');
-var referenceErrors = 0;
-var expectedReferenceErrors = 0;
-
-function getDoNotCallFunction() {
-  expectedReferenceErrors += 1;
-  return function() {
-    assert(false);
-  };
-}
 
-process.on('exit', function() {
-  assert.strictEqual(referenceErrors, expectedReferenceErrors);
-});
+function getNoResultsFunction() {
+  return common.mustCall((err, data) => {
+    assert.ifError(err);
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(data[0], []);
+  });
+}
 
 var works = [['inner.one'], 'inner.o'];
 const putIn = new common.ArrayStream();
@@ -23,13 +17,7 @@ var testMe = repl.start('', putIn);
 
 // Some errors are passed to the domain, but do not callback
 testMe._domain.on('error', function(err) {
-  // Errors come from another context, so instanceof doesn't work
-  var str = err.toString();
-
-  if (/^ReferenceError:/.test(str))
-    referenceErrors++;
-  else
-    assert(false);
+  assert.ifError(err);
 });
 
 // Tab Complete will not break in an object literal
@@ -38,7 +26,7 @@ putIn.run([
   'var inner = {',
   'one:1'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', getDoNotCallFunction());
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 testMe.complete('console.lo', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
   assert.deepStrictEqual(data, [['console.log'], 'console.lo']);
@@ -58,7 +46,7 @@ putIn.run([
   '?',
   '{one: 1} : '
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', getDoNotCallFunction());
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -74,7 +62,7 @@ testMe.complete('inner.o', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
 // When you close the function scope tab complete will not return the
 // locally scoped variable
 putIn.run(['};']);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', getDoNotCallFunction());
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -129,7 +117,7 @@ putIn.run([
   ' one:1',
   '};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', getDoNotCallFunction());
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -142,7 +130,7 @@ putIn.run([
   ' one:1',
   '};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', getDoNotCallFunction());
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -156,7 +144,7 @@ putIn.run([
   ' one:1',
   '};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', getDoNotCallFunction());
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -254,6 +242,21 @@ testMe.complete('obj.', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 putIn.run(['function a() {}']);
 
-testMe.complete('a().b.', common.mustCall((error, data) => {
-  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, [[], undefined]);
+testMe.complete('a().b.', getNoResultsFunction());
+
+// Works when prefixed with spaces
+putIn.run(['.clear']);
+putIn.run(['var obj = {1:"a","1a":"b",a:"b"};']);
+
+testMe.complete(' obj.', common.mustCall((error, data) => {
+  assert.strictEqual(data[0].indexOf('obj.1'), -1);
+  assert.strictEqual(data[0].indexOf('obj.1a'), -1);
+  assert.notStrictEqual(data[0].indexOf('obj.a'), -1);
+}));
+
+// Works inside assignments
+putIn.run(['.clear']);
+
+testMe.complete('var log = console.lo', common.mustCall((error, data) => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, [['console.log'], 'console.lo']);
 }));