Definition: Hope

Etymology 1

From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (hope), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn, further etymology unclear.

Verb

hope (third-person singular simple present hopes, present participle hoping, simple past and past participle hoped)

1. (intransitive, transitive) To want something to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might.

   I hope everyone enjoyed the meal.

   I am still hoping that all will turn out well.

2. To be optimistic; be full of hope; have hopes.
3. (transitive) To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good; usually followed by in.

Etymology 2

From Middle English hope, from Old English hopa (hope, expectation), from the same source as the verb.

Noun

hope (countable and uncountable, plural hopes)

1. (countable or uncountable) The feeling of trust, confidence, belief, or expectation that something wished for can or will happen.

   I still have some hope that I can get to work on time.

   After losing my job, there is no hope of being able to afford my world cruise.

   There is still hope that we can find our missing cat.

2. (countable) The actual thing wished for.
3. (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.

4. (Christianity) The virtuous desire for future good.

Derived terms

• Cape of Good Hope
• hopeful
• hopeless
• hoper
• in the hope of
• live in hope
• Mount Hope
• overhope
• ray of hope

Related terms

• forlorn hope

Credits

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