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\ ˈhōp 
\
\hoped; hoping
Definition of hope
(Entry 1 of 6)
1 : to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true
hopes for a promotion hoping for the best I hope so.
1 : to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment
I hope she remembers. hopes to be invited
2 : to expect with confidence : trust Your mother is doing well, I hope.
hope against hope
: to hope without any basis for expecting fulfillment
hope
nounDefinition of hope (Entry 2 of 6)
1a : desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment
came in hopes of seeing you also : expectation of fulfillment or success no hope of a cure when they were young and full of hope
b : someone or something on which hopes are centered
our only hope for victory
c : something desired or hoped for
great hopes for the coming year
Hope
biographical name (1)\ ˈhōp \
\Definition of Hope (Entry 3 of 6)
Anthony — see Sir Anthony Hope hawkins
Hope
biographical name (2)Definition of Hope (Entry 4 of 6)
Bob 1903–2003 originally Leslie Townes Hope American (British-born) comedian
Hope
biographical name (3)Definition of Hope (Entry 5 of 6)
Victor Alexander John 1887–1951 2nd Marquis of Linlithgow \ lin-ˈlith-(ˌ)gō \ British soldier; viceroy of India (1936–43)
\ British soldier; viceroy of India (1936–43)Hope
geographical nameDefinition of Hope (Entry 6 of 6)
city in southwestern Arkansas that was the childhood home of President Bill Clinton population 10,095
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Examples of hope in a Sentence
Verb
No one knows yet if anyone survived the crash. At this point, we can only hope.
I hope you're feeling better soon.
That's what she hoped would happen.
Let's hope that the strike ends soon.
I hope I haven't bored you.
Everyone in your family is well, I hope. Noun
When they started their life together, they were young and full of hope.
Rescuers have not yet abandoned hope that more survivors will be found.
The drug has brought hope to thousands of sufferers.
We allowed ourselves to entertain hopes that the crisis would end soon.
The goal raised the hopes of the team.
The hope is that there will be a settlement soon.
The lawyers do not want to raise false hopes of an early settlement.
He told them the truth with the hope that they would understand.
He had little hope of attending college.
The latest reports hold out hope for a possible end to this crisis.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Ultimately, scientists hope the project will help us understand the composition of different solar systems, uncover mysteries about potentially habitable worlds, and unlock secrets about life elsewhere in the universe.
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Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "NASA Satellite Discovers 'Second Earth'," 8 Jan. 2020 Their discography as a whole is genre-fluid, and the members hope that’s something each release of theirs can see in the future.
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Tamar Herman, Billboard, "WayV Hope to Bring their Vision & Music to the World in the New Decade," 23 Dec. 2019 Meanwhile, Esther’s own ultimate success, and the virtues of patience and hope that her story illuminates, remain with him.
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Mary Beth Mccauley, The Christian Science Monitor, "Jealousy at Ivy League level: How a law professor views Tenth Commandment," 23 Dec. 2019 But then, once in a lifetime The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.
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John Gallagher, Freep.com, "Departing Free Press columnist John Gallagher pens open letter to Detroiters," 19 Dec. 2019 Still, Salmon and others hope that the official response to the Guide spill will have a chilling effect on industries seeking to cut corners.
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Sarah Bowman, IndyStar, "113 tons of dead fish: Indiana's worst environmental disaster, 20 years later," 19 Dec. 2019 Regardless of how much heat comes down to turbulence, researchers hope to further study filaments for their role in tying the whole galactic cycle together.
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Quanta Magazine, "Astronomers Find Black Holes Stirring Up the Biggest Galaxies," 12 Dec. 2019 With Bergeron back in the lineup, the Bruins will hope to contain Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.
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Joe Williams, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, "Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals odds, picks and best bets," 11 Dec. 2019 But at that counter the night before, on Thanksgiving, there was something closer to hope.
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Washington Post, "An independent bookstore owner is facing the last chapter of his beloved business," 3 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Pinning so much hope on the deal with China seems shortsighted.
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Jon Sindreu, WSJ, "Economic Recovery Doesn’t Hang on Trump’s Trade Deal," 16 Jan. 2020 The Portland Trail Blazers opened the season with high hopes back in October, but the team hasn’t come close to living up to expectations over the last three months.
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Jamie Goldberg | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, "Portland Trail Blazers midseason awards: Damian Lillard continues to lead the way, Hassan Whiteside proves to be key acquisition," 15 Jan. 2020 Ito’s Media Lab accepted $525,000 from Epstein, with the hope for millions of dollars more.
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BostonGlobe.com, "After Epstein affair, president Rafael Reif should not be running MIT," 12 Jan. 2020 An Indianapolis defense that began the season with high hopes ended up taking a step back.
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Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star, "What went wrong for the Colts defense this season, and where they need to improve," 7 Jan. 2020 By August, the hype will build and many Michigan fans will be riled up again, filled with false hope.
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Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football needs to rewrite fight song to reflect reality: No longer champions," 3 Jan. 2020 Last month, the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital started a GoFundMe page with hopes of raising $25,000 to help treat koalas who had been rescued from the wildfires.
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Jason Duaine Hahn, PEOPLE.com, "Father and Son Found Dead as Brush Fires Spread in Australia: It's 'Very Tragic'," 1 Jan. 2020 Rather, our position has always been to partner with community service providers to help us help those faced with homelessness with hope to improve their quality of life.
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Tara Law, Time, "Mobile, Alabama Police Chief Apologizes After Officers' 'Homeless Quilt' Goes Viral," 31 Dec. 2019 The same number of captive pairs will be bred with the hopes that some of those pups can be fostered in wild dens.
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Debra Utacia Krol, azcentral, "Competing interests leave Mexican gray wolf recovery efforts at a crossroads," 30 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hope.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Last Updated
18 Jan 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Hope.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoped. Accessed 20 January 2020.
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More Definitions for hope
hope
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of hope
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true
hope
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of hope (Entry 2 of 2)
: the feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen : a feeling that something good will happen or be true
: the chance that something good will happen
: someone or something that may be able to provide help : someone or something that gives you a reason for hoping
See the full definition for hope in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hope
verb\ ˈhōp \
\hoped; hoping
Kids Definition of hope
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to desire especially with expectation that the wish will be granted
I hope she remembers I'm coming.
hope
nounKids Definition of hope (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : desire together with the expectation of getting what is wanted
2 : a chance or likelihood for something desired
There isn't much hope of winning.
3 : something wished for
My hope is that we'll all do well.
4 : someone or something that may be able to help
You're our last hope.
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Comments on hope
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Time Traveler for hope
The first known use of hope was before the 12th century
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