disappoint

verb

dis·​ap·​point ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint 

disappointed; disappointing; disappoints

transitive verb

: to fail to meet the expectation or hope of : frustrate

the team disappointed its fans

He disappointed his parents with his decision.

intransitive verb

: to fail to meet a hope or expectation : to cause disappointment

where the show disappoints most is in the work of the younger generation

—John Ashbery

Synonyms

• fail
• cheat
• displease
• upset

Examples of disappoint in a Sentence

The team disappointed its fans.

The show may disappoint some viewers.

The novel disappoints by being predictable and overly long.

Recent Examples on the Web

Norsk Tipping also apologized for the error and for disappointing its customers. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 30 June 2025

Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior was big news and his interpretation of the house codes and plays on volume did not disappoint. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 30 June 2025

This past weekend, the music-loving hordes returned to Worthy Farm, and once again the Glastonbury Festival did not disappoint. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025

Equinix provided long-term guidance on Wednesday that disappointed investors and led to a slew of analyst downgrades. —Fred Imbert, CNBC, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English disapointen to dispossess, from Middle French desapointer, from des- dis- + appointer to arrange — more at appoint

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for disappoint

• counterpoint
• multipoint
• needlepoint
• reappoint
• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint

Kids Definition

disappoint

verb

dis·​ap·​point ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint 

: to fail to meet the expectation or hope of

the team disappointed its fans