hope

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
9
Words With Friends
9
Letters
4
Pronunciation
/ˈhəʊ̯p/
See all 14 pronunciations
/ˈhəʊ̯p/ · [ˈhəʊ̯p] · /ˈhɵʊ̯p/ · [ˈhɵ̞ʊ̯p] · /ˈhoʊ̯p/ · [ˈhoʊ̯p] · /ˈhɔʊ̯p/ · [ˈhɔʊ̯p] · /ˈhəʉ̯p/ · [ˈhəʉ̯p] · /ˈhɐʉ̯p/ · [ˈhɐ̝ʉ̯p] · /ˈhoʊp/ · /ˈhəʊp/

Definition of hope

45 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative) not].
    “They are hoping it does not rain, but I expect it will.”
    “He's still hoping that everything will turn out fine.”
    “— Is he going to shut up soon? — I hope so.”
    “I'm going to get a new car. I hope it will be better than the last one.”
    “I'd hoped I'd find a job, but I never did, so I was hoping you could lend me some cash.”
See all 45 definitions

verb

  1. To want (something) to happen, with a sense of expectation that it might [with that (+ clause); or (informal) with clause; or with so or (negative) not].
    “They are hoping it does not rain, but I expect it will.”
    “He's still hoping that everything will turn out fine.”
    “— Is he going to shut up soon? — I hope so.”
    “I'm going to get a new car. I hope it will be better than the last one.”
    “I'd hoped I'd find a job, but I never did, so I was hoping you could lend me some cash.”
  2. (catenative)To intend to do something and look forward to the prospect of having done it [with to (+ infinitive)].
    “I hope to succeed.”
    “I hope to be going back again soon.”
    “I was hoping to find a pair of jeans, but I couldn't.”
    “He looked round the poor room, at the distempered walls, and the bad engravings in meretricious frames, the crinkly paper and wax flowers on the chiffonier; and he thought of a room like Father Bryan's, with panelling, with cut glass, with tulips in silver pots, such a room as he had hoped to have for his own.”
  3. (intransitive)To expect optimistically that one might get something (either a change in circumstance or an object) [with for].
    “They're hoping for the best, but I don't think it's looking very good.”
    “I'm hoping for my boss to offer me a pay raise.”
  4. (intransitive)To place confidence; to trust with confident expectation of good [with in].
    “I hope in thy word.”
    “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God.”
  5. (dialectal, nonstandard, transitive)To wish.
    “I hope you all the best.”

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)The feeling of trust, confidence, belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen.
    “All hopes for a truce are gone after the latest attack.”
    “After losing my job, there's frail hope of affording my world cruise.”
    “There is still hope that we can find our missing cat.”
    “My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out.”
  2. (countable)The actual thing wished for.
  3. (countable)A person or thing that is a source of hope.
    “We still have one hope left: my roommate might see the note I left on the table.”
  4. (uncountable)The virtuous desire for future good.
    “But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”
  5. (Northern-England, Scotland)A hollow; a valley, especially the upper end of a narrow mountain valley when it is nearly encircled by smooth, green slopes; a combe.
  6. A sloping plain between mountain ridges.
  7. (Scotland)A small bay; an inlet; a haven.
    “Being by contrarie winds driuen to staie against Erith, at Grauesend, in Tilberie hope.”
    “A little hamlet which straggled along the side of a creek formed by the discharge of a small brook into the sea[…]It was called Wolf's Hope (i.e. Wolf's Haven).”

name

  1. (uncountable, usually)A female given name from English from the virtue, like Faith and Charity first used by Puritans.
    “Hope Hicks, one of the President’s longest-serving aides, warned Parscale against touting ticket request numbers, reminding him that the number one rule in politics is not to overpromise and underdeliver, a source familiar with the matter said.”
  2. (uncountable, usually)An English and Scottish topographic surname from Middle English for someone who lived in a hope, a small enclosed valley.
  3. (rare, uncountable, usually)A male given name transferred from the surname.
  4. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  5. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  6. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  7. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  8. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  9. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  10. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  11. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  12. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  13. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  14. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  15. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  16. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  17. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  18. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  19. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  20. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  21. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  22. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  23. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  24. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  25. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  26. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  27. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  28. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  29. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  30. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  31. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  32. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:
  33. (uncountable, usually)A place name, including:

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (“hope”), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn, further etymology unclear. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian hoopje (“to hope”), Cimbrian hòffan (“to hope”),…

See full etymology

From Middle English hopen, from Old English hopian (“hope”), from Proto-West Germanic *hopōn, further etymology unclear. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian hoopje (“to hope”), Cimbrian hòffan (“to hope”), Dutch hopen (“to hope”), German, Luxembourgish hoffen (“to hope”), Vilamovian höfnan (“hope”), Yiddish האָפֿן (hofn, “to hope”), Danish håbe (“to hope”), Norwegian Bokmål håpe (“to hope”), Norwegian Nynorsk håpa, håpe (“to hope”), Swedish hoppas (“to hope”).

Anagrams of hope

3 plays · some not in Scrabble

Best play pheo 9 points

Hooks

3 extensions · 3 back

A single letter you can add to hope to make another valid word.

Find your best play with hope

See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes hope, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.