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
Jo Pullin and Sustainable Hatherleigh hope to create a resilient future for the area.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
“I hope ranchers will be recognized as part of the solution to climate change,” Valdez said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
The hope had been that the drug—called pelacarsen—would take on an insidious cause of heart attacks and strokes that has eluded treatment for decades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
“I hope you’re proud of yourself, because I sure am.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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
"We will always carry the grief of losing Oscar and Leo with us, but Hope is living proof that even after the darkest of storms, rainbows can break through."
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
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 ● Aug. 22, 2026
“We come to the pub when we finish work, come for two, have a debrief of the day and then we go home,” said Hope Aris, 24, who works in Soho.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Already, I had a good feeling about Hope Springs, and that billboard was like Arletta Paisley herself saying, “Jubilee, darlin’, I’m so glad you came.”
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
It also demonstrates how the Labubu craze — in which people keep buying blind boxes of the same toys in hopes of getting a rare, expensive one — has turned some shops into casinos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Generally speaking, news of further conflict drives the price up while hopes of an end to the war pushes the price down.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 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
A run of brighter-than-expected data has lifted hopes Germany is withstanding the worst of the Middle East war and subsequent soaring energy costs, and gradually emerging from a years-long stagnation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Drat, thought Ralph, and he ran up Ryan’s leg in hopes of a glimpse of the test that lay ahead.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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 Cybercab rollout won’t be as broad as some investors had hoped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
She always hoped things would be different, and too often, they weren’t.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
He added that he hoped his work at the new forge might add a few more to their number.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
My friends may have acted like jerks at the lake, but they’re jerks I still hoped to make up with someday.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
While some analysts had low expectations for Thursday, others were hoping for a much bigger rollout.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
Investors are hoping she can steer a turnaround after a series of bad moments for the brand, many of which have played out publicly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Now, survivors and relatives of those who were killed are hoping to overturn the law they say prevents them from getting justice.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
In China, photographs of missing people are shared on social media by relatives hoping for news.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Although the prospect of playing hymns in church didn’t particularly excite me, I agreed, hoping at least I could make some friends that way.
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.
