white hope

noun

a person who is expected to accomplish much in a given field: the white hope of the American theater.

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

Origin of white hope

First recorded in 1905–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for white hope

white hope

noun

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

Word Origin and History for white hope

c.1912, originally in sporting use in reference to the quest for a white man capable of beating champion pugilist Jack Johnson.