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]
/ hoʊp /
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]
/ hoʊp /
noun
-
Anthony, pen name of Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins.
-
Bob Leslie Townes Hope, 1903–2003, U.S. comedian, born in England.
-
John, 1868–1936, U.S. educator.
-
a town in SW Arkansas.
-
a female given name.
hope
1
British
/ həʊp /
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
/ həʊp /
noun
-
Anthony, real name Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins. 1863–1933, English novelist; author of The Prisoner of Zenda (1894)
-
Bob, real name Leslie Townes Hope. 1903–2003, 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 (1995–2005)
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:
“I hope the lawsuit holds the largest contributors accountable for the consequences.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
“A year from now, I hope we’ll have multiple FDA-approved psychedelic therapies so patients can safely access treatment under the care of trained medical professionals,” Genevieve Jurvetson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
What do you hope audiences take away from watching it?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
In contrast, opponents Manchester United - one of those London City hope to overtake this season - clearly need more time to adapt to new manager Eva Olid's ways.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
"I hope so....But, what did you say, what island?"
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Lomonaco and the restaurant’s owners formed Windows of Hope, a charitable foundation that raised more than $22 million to pay for healthcare and tuition costs for the children of the victims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Scotiabank’s Robert Hope says the sale of its 64% stake supports “management’s ongoing focus on its core U.S.-regulated utility operations.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The report singled out Uthmeier as being in a position of authority during the settlement and cited testimony about his involvement in directing the money after it reached Hope Florida.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Baby Hope was born at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester on 27 February 2026.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Nat said, “I suppose Hope fits—in a way. You can always hope you’ll get around it.”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Holland adds that he hopes people will give the show a chance before judging.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Critics also have been concerned about the methodology of drug trials and whether the science supports the high hopes for the treatments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
The combination of an all-around dominant defensive effort, with the Trojans’ usual offensive mastery, offered a glimpse of what USC hopes it can be this season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Here are 10 more I’ll be looking out for – some I’ve seen, others I have high hopes for – along with premiere dates for a selection of returning favorites.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Her hopes would shoot to the moon if I told her.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
The assignment would change the course of her career, but not in the way that she’d hoped.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
He said the monarch had hoped to return home for this year's Empango - the annual celebration of his coronation - on 12 September.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Fleeing in horror from the Revolution he had hoped to lead, he was captured and imprisoned, “crushed,” as Gouverneur Morris, America’s minister to France, put it, “by the wheel he set in motion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The company’s robotaxi service, which kicked off in Austin in June 2025, has been expanding more slowly than some investors had hoped.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
At first we hoped it was the beginning of Mama’s recovery.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Travel columnist Dawn Gilbertson provides a primer for travelers hoping to find the best shortcut through TSA screening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Microsoft stock and a raft of other OpenAI partners will be hoping GPT-6 Astra proves to be a hit.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
While some analysts had low expectations for Thursday, others were hoping for a much bigger rollout.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
But that firewall is now under threat, and the party is hoping Siegmund provides the friendly face it needs to close the deal with centrist voters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
For years, he’d worked for others, saving and saving, hoping to start his own enterprise, and now he’d finally been able to buy into a store.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
