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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Hope

/ˈhəʊ̯p/ · verb

Meaning

To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative) not]..

Definitions by Sense

  1. To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative) not].
  2. (catenative) To intend to do something and look forward to the prospect of having done it [with to (+ infinitive)].
  3. (intransitive) To expect optimistically that one might get something (either a change in circumstance or an object) [with for].
  4. (intransitive) To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good [with in].
  5. (transitive, dialectal, nonstandard) To wish.
  6. (countable or uncountable) The feeling of trust, confidence, belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen.
  7. (countable) The actual thing wished for.
  8. (countable) A person or thing that is a source of hope.

Example Sentences

They are hoping it does not rain, but I expect it will.
He's still hoping that everything will turn out fine.
— Is he going to shut up soon? — I hope so.
I'm going to get a new car. I hope it will be better than the last one.
I'd hoped I'd find a job, but I never did, so I was hoping you could lend me some cash.
I hope {to - (that) I'll} have finished by next Sat at the latest.
It is to be hoped that some corresponding smartening up of these other schedules may be expected before long.
The solitary, lumbering trolls of Scandinavian mythology would sometimes be turned to stone by exposure to sunlight. Barack Obama is hoping that several measures announced on June 4th will have a similarly paralysing effect on their modern incarnation, the patent troll.

Synonyms for hope

Antonyms for hope

Related Words

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does hope mean?

Hope means To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative) not]..

What is a synonym for hope?

Common synonyms include desire, trust, promise, go for.

What is the opposite of hope?

Possible antonyms include despair.

How do you use hope in a sentence?

They are hoping it does not rain, but I expect it will.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.