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 of disappoint

• 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

The appetite for the follow-up has been immense, and Ghost of Yotei, a standalone sequel, does not disappoint. —Richard Newby, Time, 6 Dec. 2025

The Kendall siblings are disappointed with Germany’s placement in its group but still believe the team can come out on top. —Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025

Penn State’s Drew Allar, Miami’s Carson Beck, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier were all considered potential first-rounders at the beginning of the season, but have disappointed enough to muddy those projections. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Dec. 2025

Addressing this directly on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Cena warned those who believe this is a storyline that they will be disappointed. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 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