hope
noun
the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
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The word hope comes from which language family?
hope
1 American
[hohp]
/ hoสp /
noun
-
hopes
plural
-
the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
to give up hope.
- Synonyms:
- longing, expectancy, aspiration
-
a particular instance of this feeling.
the hope of winning.
-
grounds for this feeling in a particular instance.
There is little or no hope of his recovery.
-
a person or thing in which expectations are centered.
The medicine was her last hope.
-
something that is hoped for.
Her forgiveness is my constant hope.
verb (used with object)
-
hopes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hoped,
past participle, past
-
hoping
present participle
-
to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.
-
to believe, desire, or trust.
I hope that my work will be satisfactory.
verb (used without object)
-
hopes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hoped,
past participle, past
-
hoping
present participle
-
to feel that something desired may happen.
We hope for an early spring.
-
Archaic. to place trust; rely (usually followed byin ).
idioms
Hope
2
American
[hohp]
/ hoสp /
noun
-
Anthony, pen name of Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins.
-
Bob Leslie Townes Hope, 1903โ2003, U.S. comedian, born in England.
-
John, 1868โ1936, U.S. educator.
-
a town in SW Arkansas.
-
a female given name.
hope
1
British
/ hษสp /
noun
-
(sometimes plural) a feeling of desire for something and confidence in the possibility of its fulfilment
his hope for peace was justified
their hopes were dashed
-
a reasonable ground for this feeling
there is still hope
-
a person or thing that gives cause for hope
-
a thing, situation, or event that is desired
my hope is that prices will fall
-
used ironically to express little confidence that expectations will be fulfilled
verb
-
(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to desire (something) with some possibility of fulfilment
we hope you can come
I hope to tell you
-
to have a wish (for a future event, situation, etc)
-
(tr; takes a clause as object) to trust, expect, or believe
we hope that this is satisfactory
Hope
2
British
/ hษสp /
noun
-
Anthony, real name Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins. 1863โ1933, English novelist; author of The Prisoner of Zenda (1894)
-
Bob, real name Leslie Townes Hope. 1903โ2003, US comedian and comic actor, born in England. His films include The Cat and the Canary (1939), Road to Morocco (1942), and The Paleface (1947). He was awarded an honorary knighthood in 1998
-
David ( Michael ). Baron. born 1940, British churchman, Archbishop of York (1995โ2005)
hope
More Idioms
Usage
What are other ways to say hope?
To hope for something is to look forward to it with desire and reasonable confidence. When should you use this verb over anticipate, expect, or await? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hopesimple
-
hopessimple
-
have hopedperfect
-
has hopedperfect
-
am hopingprogressive
-
are hopingprogressive
-
is hopingprogressive
-
have been hopingperfect progressive
-
has been hopingperfect progressive
Past
-
hopedsimple
-
had hopedperfect
-
was hopingprogressive
-
were hopingprogressive
-
had been hopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hope
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English hopa; cognate with Dutch hoop, German Hoffe; (verb) Middle English hopen, Old English hopian
Explanation
Hope is something that you want to happen, like your hope to visit Paris this summer, or the feeling that good things will come. If you make it to the final round of a tournament, that gives you hope. Hope can also be a verb that means "strive for or wish," as in your hope to become a doctor someday. To hope is to want something to happen, but if instead you said that you intend to become a doctor, that suggests becoming a doctor is more of a goal than a dream. Hope, on the other hand, is more emotional. In fact, some scholars believe it's linked in meaning to hop, in that someone who hopes "leaps in expectation."
Vocabulary lists containing hope
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Rays of hope are always welcome in this dark era, but there are at least three reasons to think the authors’ case—and the optimistic read on the future of American alliances writ large—has some holes.
From Slate โ Oct. 8, 2026
Barrett has worked on seven Living Planet reports, but he said this was the first where the takeaway message was to focus on hope.
From BBC โ Oct. 8, 2026
“We hope by making it faster, more people will come forward and get the treatment that they need,” Dr. Susan Northrup, the FAA’s federal air surgeon who oversees pilot medical certification, said in August.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 8, 2026
Becerra’s critics subscribe to “this very American bias that an immigrant only moves once to the U.S., the land of opportunity, of hope — all that mythology,” Gradilla continued.
From Los Angeles Times โ Oct. 7, 2026
Father’s going to buy cornmeal, lard, bacon, and, I hope, a few eggs.
From "Willโs Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Researchers from NYU Langone Health, City of Hope, and Memorial Sloan Kettering closely monitored 9,419 meals consumed by 173 hospitalized cancer patients and tracked changes in their gut microbiomes.
From Science Daily โ Oct. 7, 2026
Dozens of new private and microschools have set up shop in the state in recent years, fueled by the roughly $5,400 the Hope Scholarship offers each student to pay tuition.
From Salon โ Oct. 4, 2026
“HUD’s appeal is still underway, and until these funds actually reach providers, the situation at our Hope Transitional Shelter remains critical,” the statement said.
From Los Angeles Times โ Sep. 25, 2026
The slogan for this year's conference is "Hope Again".
From BBC โ Sep. 24, 2026
She passed a while back, but it’s in her honor that I’d like to donate twenty-five thousand dollars to the Hope Springs Downtown Revitalization Fund.”
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
But, with the backing of Australian businessman Grant Wechsel, former Brisbane Broncos star Darren Lockyer and a squad full of internationals, they do still harbour hopes of playing in Super League in 2027.
From BBC โ Oct. 8, 2026
Garfield hopes other states will conduct similar analyses of their own records.
From Science Daily โ Oct. 8, 2026
EU and Chinese officials have been negotiating since June, and Sefcovic raised hopes earlier this year when he said that he wanted "tangible results by October".
From Barron's โ Oct. 7, 2026
One day, she hopes to move back there to raise a family.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 7, 2026
After the Haitian earthquake, hopes of quickly rebuilding the country were frustrated by a lack of control over money.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
One Pacific delegate said he hoped that voices from the region would be "treated equally and fairly and with all respect" in Antalya.
From Barron's โ Oct. 8, 2026
The principal lecturer in public health at Canterbury Christ Church University said she hoped the initiative promoted and encouraged other people to set up phone box libraries.
From BBC โ Oct. 6, 2026
The young engineers at Google famously built the world’s most-used search engine when they initially hoped “to map out links on the web.”
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 6, 2026
By the spring of 2024, Gibney had a nearly finished two-hour cut he hoped to take to the fall festivals.
From Los Angeles Times โ Oct. 6, 2026
The big turning point — all that talk I had hoped for when I first saw the photo — had come, all right.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Despite some backlash over safety concerns, operators are hoping to eat into a business dominated by Uber Technologies, Lyft, taxis and car services.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 7, 2026
“I’ll have to come crawling back to the traditional entertainment industry, hoping that I still have a place there,” he added.
From Los Angeles Times โ Oct. 7, 2026
Now, he’s hoping to bring his experience fighting for renters to Congress.
From MarketWatch โ Oct. 6, 2026
"We will not stop raising our voices hoping for an Okinawa, where we can live in peace."
From BBC โ Oct. 5, 2026
“You’re right,” I say, hoping that one day I might believe it.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ยฉ Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritageยฎ Idioms Dictionary copyright ยฉ 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
