hope
noun
the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
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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
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to have a wish (for a future event, situation, etc)
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(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:
A woman who welcomed a daughter after two pregnancy losses has said she wants others who face similar heartache to know "there is still hope".
From BBC โ Aug. 24, 2026
"We very much hope that audiences and artists in the Netherlands can continue to be represented in the Eurovision Song Contest," said Green.
From Barron's โ Aug. 24, 2026
There is some hope for people who remember those old internet communities, as well as the nostalgic youngsters who never knew a more wide-open internet.
From Salon โ Aug. 23, 2026
“I hope they can focus on the actual allegations we make in our complaint.”
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 23, 2026
I want to feel their limitless hope and resolve.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Many operators now avoid the passage and send ships instead around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, vastly prolonging the journey between Asia and Europe and driving up fuel costs and emissions.
From Barron's โ Aug. 22, 2026
But if the ship can go without an icebreaker, Coface saidm the Arctic route is now cheaper than a Cape of Good Hope voyage in some circumstances.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 15, 2026
The Hope Street star's 2017 novel is based on his hometown and will premiere this weekend.
From BBC โ Aug. 14, 2026
Davis, 53, announced the news with an Instagram video on Tuesday that showed the actor ringing the Bell of Hope, signifying she’d completed a round of cancer treatment.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 12, 2026
I didn’t even know if I’d be in Hope Springs when school started.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
She said she hopes the show’s visitors will be encouraged to “treat our immigrants as humanely as possible.”
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 24, 2026
“A modest consolidation would disappoint the hopes of market participants and weaken the USD,” the bank adds.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 24, 2026
He said he would continue to promote new ways to fight the war and confirmed a visit to the United States in the coming weeks, where he hopes to meet Elon Musk.
From BBC โ Aug. 23, 2026
They are mainly designed to persuade multinationals away from making everything in China and Asia, and at the very least consider moving to North America, with hopes of greater investment in the U.S.
From MarketWatch โ Aug. 22, 2026
Once the buildings were up, in other words, Philadelphia’s hopes would collapse.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
When Williams' long-mooted comeback finally became a reality, everybody wondered what the motives behind her return were and what she hoped to gain from stepping back on to court.
From BBC โ Aug. 22, 2026
In 1988, The Times reported that an unnamed developer hoped to buy the then member-owned club and convert the property to luxury single-family homes.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 22, 2026
Founder Jack Bogle raised just $11 million, about a 10th what he had hoped, and it was dubbed “Bogle’s Folly.”
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 21, 2026
By studying how the brain responds and adapts during treatment, they hoped to uncover biological targets that could eventually lead to more effective obesity therapies.
From Science Daily โ Aug. 20, 2026
The way I hoped he would look at me if I won.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
His comments will dictate the path forward for a tech-crazed stock market and an economy hoping the boom won’t go bust.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 24, 2026
Thirty years ago, Mott brought Cigar to this same track for this same race, hoping his superstar horse would set the modern-day North American record for consecutive victories.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 23, 2026
That company is hoping to list its shares in 2027.
From Barron's โ Aug. 22, 2026
"I am hoping that when I leave, I will have made enough money to continue with my business and expand it," she says.
From BBC โ Aug. 22, 2026
“I was hoping you would say that. Because if you continue to improve, I think there will be opportunities for you.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
