Hope

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Hope, n. [Cf. Icel. hōp a small bay or inlet.].

•  A sloping plain between mountain ridges.  [1913 Webster]
•  A small bay; an inlet; a haven.  Jamieson.  [1913 Webster]

Hope, n. [AS., akin to D. hoop, hope, Sw. hopp, Dan. haab, MHG. hoffe. Hope in forlorn hope is different word. See Forlorn hope, under Forlorn.].

•  A desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable; an expectation of something which is thought to be desirable; confidence; pleasing expectancy.  [1913 Webster]

  "The hypocrite's hope shall perish."  [1913 Webster]

  "He wished, but not with hope."  [1913 Webster]

  "New thoughts of God, new hopes of Heaven."  [1913 Webster]
•  One who, or that which, gives hope, furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good.  [1913 Webster]

  "The Lord will be the hope of his people."  [1913 Webster]

  "A young gentleman of great hopes, whose love of learning was highly commendable."  [1913 Webster]
•  That which is hoped for; an object of hope.  [1913 Webster]

  "Lavina is thine elder brother's hope."  [1913 Webster]

Hope, v. i. [AS. hopian; akin to D. hopen, Sw. hoppan, Dan. haabe, G. hoffen. See 2nd Hope.].

•  To entertain or indulge hope; to cherish a desire of good, or of something welcome, with expectation of obtaining it or belief that it is obtainable; to expect; -- usually followed by for.  Jer. Taylor.  [1913 Webster]

  "But I will hope continually."  [1913 Webster]
•  To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good; -- usually followed by in.  Ps. cxix. 81.  [1913 Webster]

  "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God."  [1913 Webster]

Hope, v. t. 

•  To desire with expectation or with belief in the possibility or prospect of obtaining; to look forward to as a thing desirable, with the expectation of obtaining it; to cherish hopes of.  [1913 Webster]

  "We hope no other from your majesty."  [1913 Webster]

  "[Charity] hopeth all things."  [1913 Webster]
•  To expect; to fear.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  " Hope is often used colloquially regarding uncertainties, with no reference to the future. “I hope she takes me to be flesh and blood.”"  Mrs. Centlivre.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Hope, n. & v.
--n.
1 (in sing. or pl.; often foll. by of, that) expectation and desire combined, e.g. for a certain thing to occur (hope of getting the job).
2 a a person, thing, or circumstance that gives cause for hope. b ground of hope, promise.
3 what is hoped for.
4 archaic a feeling of trust.
--v.
1 intr. (often foll. by for) feel hope.
2 tr. expect and desire.
3 tr. feel fairly confident.

Idiom

hope against hope cling to a mere possibility. hope chest US = bottom drawer. not a (or some) hope! colloq. no chance at all.

Derivative

hoper n.

Etymology

OE hopa

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Hope

n. Desire and expectation rolled into one.

Delicious Hope! when naught to man it left --
Of fortune destitute, of friends bereft;
When even his dog deserts him, and his goat
With tranquil disaffection chews his coat
While yet it hangs upon his back; then thou,
The star far-flaming on thine angel brow,
Descendest, radiant, from the skies to hint
The promise of a clerkship in the Mint.
Fogarty Weffing

THESAURUS

Hope

acceptation, acception, ache for, acquiescence, ambition, anticipate, anticipation, approach, ardor, aspire, aspire to, assumption, assurance, assuredness, await, bank on, bare possibility, be destined, be dying for, be fated, be hurting for, be imminent, be to be, be to come, belief, cardinal virtues, catch, certainty, chance, charity, cheerful expectation, clamor for, come, come on, conceivability, conceivableness, concupiscence, confide, confidence, contemplate, contingency, conviction, count, count on, craving, credence, credit, credulity, cry for, curiosity, daydream, dearest wish, dependence, dernier ressort, desideration, desideratum, desire, draw near, draw on, dread, drive, eagerness, envisage, even chance, eventuality, expect, expectancy, expectation, expedient, face, faith, fancy, fantasy, feel confident, forbidden fruit, foresee, foretell, fortitude, gape for, glimmering goal, golden vision, good chance, good possibility, hankering, harbor the hope, have in mind, hone for, hope against hope, hope and pray, hope for, hope in, hope to God, horme, intellectual curiosity, itch for, justice, languish for, last resort, lean upon, libido, lie ahead, likelihood, live in hopes, lodestone, long for, longing, look, look for, look forward to, loom, love, lust for, lust for learning, magnet, mind, natural virtues, near, need, nurture the hope, off chance, optimism, outside chance, outside hope, pant for, passion, pine for, pis aller, plan, pleasure, pleasure principle, plot, plum, possibility, possibleness, potential, potentiality, predict, presume, prize, probability, project, promise, prophesy, prospect, prudence, reception, recourse, reliance, reliance on, rely on, remote possibility, resort, resource, rest assured, sanguine expectation, security, sexual desire, sigh for, small hope, spoil for, stock, store, supernatural virtues, sureness, surety, suspension of disbelief, take for granted, temperance, temptation, the attainable, the feasible, the possible, theological virtues, think, thinkability, thinkableness, thirst for, thirst for knowledge, threaten, trophy, trust, urge, virtuality, wait, want, wanting, weary for, what is possible, what may be, what might be, will, will and pleasure, wish, wish for, wish fulfillment, yearn for, yearning, yen for

ROGET THESAURUS

Hope

Hope

N hope, hopes, desire, fervent hope, sanguine expectation, trust, confidence, reliance, faith, affiance, assurance, secureness, security, reassurance, good omen, good auspices, promise, well grounded hopes, good prospect, bright prospect, clear sky, assumption, presumption, anticipation, hopefulness, buoyancy, optimism, enthusiasm, heart of grace, aspiration, optimist, utopian, utopist, castles in the air, castles in Spain, chateaux en Espagne, le pot aut lait, Utopia, millennium, day dream, golden dream, dream of Alnaschar, airy hopes, fool's paradise, mirage, fond hope, beam of hope, ray of hope, gleam of hope, glimmer of hope, flash of hope, dawn of hope, star of hope, cheer, bit of blue sky, silver lining, silver lining of the cloud, bottom of Pandora's box, balm in Gilead, light at the end of the tunnel, anchor, sheet anchor, mainstay, staff, heaven, hoping, in hopes, hopeful, confident, secure, sanguine, in good heart, buoyed up, buoyant, elated, flushed, exultant, enthusiastic, heartsome, utopian, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, fearless, free from fear, free from suspicion, free from distrust, free from despair, exempt from fear, exempt from suspicion, exempt from distrust, exempt from despair, undespairing, self reliant, probable, on the high road to, within sight of shore, within sight of land, promising, propitious, of promise, full of promise, of good omen, auspicious, de bon augure, reassuring, encouraging, cheering, inspiriting, looking up, bright, roseate, couleur de rose, rose-colored, hopefully, Int, God speed!, nil desperandum, never say die, dum spiro spero, latet scintillula forsan, all is for the best, spero meliora, every cloud has a silver lining, the wish being father to the thought, hope told a flattering tale, rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis, at spes non fracta, ego spem prietio non emo, un Dieu est ma fiance, hope! thou nurse of young desire, in hoc signo spes mea, in hoc signo vinces, la speranza e il pan de miseri, l'esperance est le songe d'un homme eveille, the mighty hopes that make us men, the sickening pang of hope deferred.

VB hope, trust, confide, rely on, put one's trust in, lean upon, pin one's hope upon, pin one's faith upon, feel hope, entertain hope, harbor hope, indulge hope, cherish hope, feed hope, foster hope, nourish hope, encourage hope, cling to hope, live in hope see land, feel assured, rest assured, feel confident, rest confident, presume, promise oneself, expect, hope for, anticipate, be hopeful, look on the bright side of, view on the sunny side, voir en couleur de rose, make the best of it, hope for the best, put a good face upon, put a bold face upon, put the best face upon, keep one's spirits up, take heart, take heart of grace, be of good heart, be of good cheer, flatter oneself, lay the flattering unction to one's soul, catch at a straw hope against hope, reckon one's chickens before they are hatched, count one's chickens before they are hatched, give hope, inspire hope, raise hope, hold out hope, promise, bid fair, augur well, be in a fair way, look up, flatter, tell a flattering tale, raise expectations (sentient subject), encourage, cheer, assure, reassure, buoy up, embolden.

Desire

VB desire, wish, wish for, be desirous, have a longing, hope, care for, affect, like, list, take to, cling to, take a fancy to, fancy, prefer, have an eye, have a mind to, find it in one's heart, have a fancy for, set one's eyes upon, cast a sheep's eye upon, look sweet upon, take into one's head, have at heart, be bent upon, set one's cap at, set one's heart upon, set one's mind upon, covet, want, miss, need, feel the want of, would fain have, would fain do, would be glad of, be hungry, have a good appetite, play a good knife and fork, hunger after, thirst after, crave after, lust after, itch after, hanker after, run mad after, raven for, die for, burn to, desiderate, sigh for, cry for, gape for, gasp for, pine for, pant for, languish for, yearn for, long, be on thorns for, hope for, aspire after, catch at, grasp at, jump at, woo, court, solicit, fish for, spell for, whistle for, put up for, ogle, cause desire, create desire, raise desire, excite desire, provoke desire, whet the appetite, appetize, titillate, allure, attract, take one's fancy, tempt, hold out temptation, hold out allurement, tantalize, make one's mouth water, faire venir l'eau a la bouche, gratify desire.

Expectation

N expectation, expectance, expectancy, anticipation, reckoning, calculation, foresight, contemplation, prospection, lookout, prospect, perspective, horizon, vista, destiny, suspense, waiting, abeyance, curiosity, anxious expectation, ardent expectation, eager expectation, breathless expectation, sanguine expectation, torment of Tantalus, hope, trust, auspices, assurance, confidence, presumption, reliance, expectant, expecting, in expectation, on the watch, open-eyed, open-mouthed, in wide-eyed anticipation, agape, gaping, all agog, on tenterhooks, on tiptoe, on the tiptoe of expectation, aux aguets, ready, curious, looking forward to, expected, long expected, foreseen, in prospect, prospective, in one's eye, in one's view, in the horizon, on the horizon, just over the horizon, just around the corner, around the corner, impending, on the watch, with breathless expectation, with bated breath, with rapt anticipation, arrectis auribus, we shall see, nous verrons, expectation whirls me round, the light at the end of the tunnel.