hope
UK /ˈhəʊp/ · US /ˈhoʊp/ verb, noun, proper noun
Forms hopes hoping hoped hopest hopedst hopeth
- verb 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]. “They are hoping it does not rain, but I expect it will.”
- verb (catenative) To intend to do something and look forward to the prospect of having done it [with to (+ infinitive)]. “I hope to succeed.”
- verb (intransitive) To expect optimistically that one might get something (either a change in circumstance or an object) [with for]. “They're hoping for the best, but I don't think it's looking very good.”
- verb (intransitive) To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good [with in].
- verb (transitive, dialectal, nonstandard) To wish. “I hope you all the best.”
- noun (countable or uncountable) The feeling of trust, confidence, belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen. “All hopes for a truce are gone after the latest attack.”
- noun (countable) The actual thing wished for.
- noun (countable) A person or thing that is a source of hope. “We still have one hope left: my roommate might see the note I left on the table.”
- noun (Christianity, uncountable) The virtuous desire for future good.
- noun (Northern England, Scotland) A hollow; a valley, especially the upper end of a narrow mountain valley when it is nearly encircled by smooth, green slopes; a combe.
- noun A sloping plain between mountain ridges.
- noun (Scotland) A small bay; an inlet; a haven.
- proper noun A female given name from English from the virtue, like Faith and Charity first used by Puritans.
- proper noun An English and Scottish topographic surname from Middle English for someone who lived in a hope, a small enclosed valley.
- proper noun (rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.
- proper noun A town and district municipality in British Columbia.
- proper noun A community in the city of Vaughan, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario.
- proper noun A township municipality in Bonaventure Regional County Municipality, Quebec.
- proper noun A settlement near Richmond, Tasman district, New Zealand.
- proper noun A village and civil parish in High Peak borough, Derbyshire, England (OS grid ref SK1783).
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (“hope”), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn; further etymology unclear.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian hoopje (“to hope”), Cimbrian hòffan (“to hope”), Dutch hopen (“to hope”), German, Luxembourgish hoffen (“to hope”), Vilamovian höfnan (“hope”), Yiddish האָפֿן (hofn, “to hope”), Danish håbe (“to hope”), Norwegian Bokmål håpe (“to hope”), Norwegian Nynorsk håpa, håpe (“to hope”), Swedish hoppas (“to hope”).
From Middle English hope, from Old English hopa (“hope, expectation”), from the same source as the verb hope.
Eclipsed non-native early modern English esperance, borrowed from Middle French esperance.
From Middle English hope (“a valley”), from Old English hōp (found only in placenames). More at hoop.
From Icelandic hóp (“a small bay or inlet”). Cognate with English hoop.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A sloping plain between mountain ridges. [Obs.]
- noun A small bay; an inlet; a haven. [Scot.] Jamieson.
- noun A desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable; an expectation of something which is thought to be desirable; confidence; pleasing expectancy.
- noun One who, or that which, gives hope, furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good.
Etymology [Cf. Icel. hop a small bay or inlet.]
Etymology [AS., akin to D. hoop, hope, Sw. hopp, Dan. haab, MHG. hoffe. Hope in forlorn hope is different word. See Forlorn hope, under Forlorn.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hope”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details