as in grieves
to lose all hope or confidence
we despaired when we saw how little time we had left to complete our project
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of despairs
As someone who regularly despairs over the choice between a sweet or savory breakfast meal, this was a godsend.
—
Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
When Eva suddenly disappears without a trace, the priest despairs, leading him to commit a series of shocking and violent crimes.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
When Eva suddenly disappears without a trace, the priest despairs, leading him to commit a series of shocking and violent crimes.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despairs
Verb
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One voicemail playback message on a phone number associated with a Martin family member asked for privacy while the family grieves.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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As the Sugar Bowl Academy grieves following Tuesday's deadly avalanche north of California's Lake Tahoe, the news is also hitting people hard in the Bay Area's Marin County.—
Andrea Nakano,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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James Van Der Beek's widow is speaking out as Hollywood mourns another loss.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
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As the Grey’s Anatomy family mourns the death of Eric Dane, Katherine Heigl has paid tribute to the late actor in a statement.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The area still suffers from high rates of crime.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Mar. 2026
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The complaint states Geter Pinder suffers from severe emotional distress, anxiety, paranoia about her safety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other ailments.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Despairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despairs. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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