forlorn hope
noun
1
: a body of men selected to perform a perilous service
2
: a desperate or extremely difficult enterprise
Examples of forlorn hope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Freedom in Cuba is an ever more forlorn hope.
—
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 17 Dec. 2020
Japan had gambled on a forlorn hope of a short war, but found itself in a trap of its own making that involved a long war of attrition waged against the world's leading industrial power.
—Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2017
Rather, the real purpose is a forlorn hope to make Iran a strategic partner of sorts.
—Sean Durns, National Review, 5 Mar. 2022
The study strongly suggests that relying on military rapid response units to save diplomats is a forlorn hope.
—Michael Peck, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2021
This seems to be Blue and White’s favored option, though it is based on a forlorn hope.
—Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2019
However, expecting the Croatian soccer authorities to act the right way in such a situation was always going to be a forlorn hope.
—Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, 9 July 2018
Seeing as Croatia are already through to the last 16, this may turn out to be a forlorn hope.
—SI.com, 22 June 2018
The Uruguayans needed to win to overhaul their rivals in the group, though victory seemed a forlorn hope.
—SI.com, 24 Feb. 2018
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 17 Dec. 2020
Japan had gambled on a forlorn hope of a short war, but found itself in a trap of its own making that involved a long war of attrition waged against the world's leading industrial power.
—Jeremy Hsu, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2017
Rather, the real purpose is a forlorn hope to make Iran a strategic partner of sorts.
—Sean Durns, National Review, 5 Mar. 2022
The study strongly suggests that relying on military rapid response units to save diplomats is a forlorn hope.
—Michael Peck, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2021
This seems to be Blue and White’s favored option, though it is based on a forlorn hope.
—Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2019
However, expecting the Croatian soccer authorities to act the right way in such a situation was always going to be a forlorn hope.
—Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, 9 July 2018
Seeing as Croatia are already through to the last 16, this may turn out to be a forlorn hope.
—SI.com, 22 June 2018
The Uruguayans needed to win to overhaul their rivals in the group, though victory seemed a forlorn hope.
—SI.com, 24 Feb. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forlorn hope.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Forlorn hope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forlorn%20hope. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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