2 VERB If you say that you cannot hope for something, or if you talk about the only thing that you can hope to get, you mean that you are in a bad situation, and there is very little chance of improving it. □ [V + for ] Things aren't ideal, but that's the best you can hope for. □ [V to-inf] …these mountains, which no one can hope to penetrate. ● N‑VAR Hope is also a noun. □ The only hope for underdeveloped countries is to become, as far as possible, self-reliant.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Hope is a feeling of desire and expectation that things will go well in the future. □ [+ of ] But Kevin hasn't given up hope of being fit. □ Consumer groups still hold out hope that the president will change his mind.
4 N‑COUNT [N that] If someone wants something to happen, and considers it likely or possible, you can refer to their hopes of that thing, or to their hope that it will happen. □ [+ of ] They have hopes of increasing trade between the two regions. □ [+ of ] The delay in the programme has dashed Japan's hopes of commercial success in space.
5 N‑COUNT If you think that the help or success of a particular person or thing will cause you to be successful or to get what you want, you can refer to them as your hope . □ He was one of our best hopes for a gold at the Commonwealth Games.
6 PHRASE If you are in a difficult situation and do something and hope for the best , you hope that everything will happen in the way you want, although you know that it may not. □ Some companies are cutting costs and hoping for the best.
7 PHRASE If you tell someone not to get their hopes up , or not to build their hopes up , you are warning them that they should not become too confident of progress or success. □ There is no reason for people to get their hopes up over this mission.
8 PHRASE If you say that someone has not got a hope in hell of doing something, you are emphasizing that they will not be able to do it. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ Everybody knows they haven't got a hope in hell of forming a government anyway.
9 PHRASE If you have high hopes or great hopes that something will happen, you are confident that it will happen. □ We've high hopes that we've passed our course. [Also + of/for ]
10 PHRASE If you hope against hope that something will happen, you hope that it will happen, although it seems impossible. □ She glanced about the hall, hoping against hope that Richard would be waiting for her.
11 PHRASE You use ' I hope ' in expressions such as ' I hope you don't mind ' and ' I hope I'm not disturbing you ', when you are being polite and want to make sure that you have not offended someone or disturbed them. [POLITENESS ] □ I hope you don't mind me coming to see you. □ I hope I haven't said anything to upset you.
12 PHRASE You say ' I hope ' when you want to warn someone not to do something foolish or dangerous. □ I hope you won't be too harsh with the girl.
13 PHRASE If you do one thing in the hope of another thing happening, you do it because you think it might cause or help the other thing to happen, which is what you want. □ He was studying in the hope of being admitted to an engineering college.
14 PHRASE If you live in hope that something will happen, you continue to hope that it will happen, although it seems unlikely, and you realize that you are being foolish. □ My mother bought lots of tickets and lived in hope of winning the prize.
15 CONVENTION If you say ' Some hope ', or ' Not a hope ', you think there is no possibility that something will happen, although you may want it to happen. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ The industry reckons it will see orders swell by 10% this financial year. Some hope. USAGE hope
If someone asks you whether something is true, or whether something will happen, you can answer ‘yes’ by saying ‘I hope so
’, or ‘no’ by saying ‘I hope not
’. Don’t say ‘
4
adjective + hope : faint, fase, forlorn, slim, vain; high; realistic
verb + hope : dash; raise; harbour; express; give up, lose
hope + be + adjective : alive
5
noun + hope : medal, play-off, promotion, title
ho ped-for ADJ [ADJ n] Hoped-for is used to describe something that people would like to happen, and which they usually think is likely or possible. [JOURNALISM ] □ The hoped-for economic recovery did not arrive.
hope|ful /hoʊ pfʊl/ (hopefuls )
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ , oft ADJ that] If you are hopeful , you are fairly confident that something that you want to happen will happen. □ I am hopeful this misunderstanding will be rectified very quickly. [Also + of ] ● hope|ful|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ 'Am I welcome?' He smiled hopefully, leaning on the door.
2 ADJ If something such as a sign or event is hopeful , it makes you feel that what you want to happen will happen. □ The result of the election in is yet another hopeful sign that peace could come to the Middle East.