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white hope

American  

noun

  1. a person who is expected to accomplish much in a given field.

    the white hope of the American theater.

  2. Sports. (formerly) a white man who had a good chance of winning the heavyweight boxing championship from a Black man.


white hope British  

noun

  1. informal a person who is expected to bring honour or glory to his group, team, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of white hope

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

“He became the banner, the poster child for the great white hope of evangelicalism, the salvation of the church in America,” she said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 10, 2021

Donald Trump may be the great white hope of the Republican party, but his dislike of sharks is well known.

From The Guardian • Sep. 29, 2019

This will then evolve into Zoe – the great white hope for the personalised-health revolution.

From The Guardian • Jun. 23, 2019

One of the last chances for averting a strike disappeared last week when young Henry Ford, white hope of the union, turned out to be no comfort at all.

From Time Magazine Archive

We will be disappointed if Eugene O'Neill, the white hope of the American drama, was not there.

From Pieces of Hate And Other Enthusiams by Broun, Heywood

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