3 ADJ [ADJ n] A hopeful action is one that you do in the hope that you will get what you want to get. □ We've chartered the plane in the hopeful anticipation that the government will allow them to leave.
4 N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a hopeful , you mean that they are hoping and trying to achieve success in a particular career, election, or competition. □ On the show, young hopefuls are given the opportunity to work in different aspects of the fashion world.
hope|ful|ly /hoʊ pfʊli/
1 ADV You say hopefully when mentioning something that you hope will happen. Some careful speakers of English think that this use of hopefully is not correct, but it is very frequently used. □ Hopefully, you won't have any problems after reading this.
2 → see also hopeful
hope|less /hoʊ pləs/
1 ADJ If you feel hopeless , you feel very unhappy because there seems to be no possibility of a better situation or success. □ He had not heard her cry before in this uncontrolled, hopeless way. □ He began to feel hopeless and his level of confidence plummeted. ● hope|less|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ I looked around hopelessly. ● hope|less|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ about ] She had a feeling of hopelessness about the future.
2 ADJ Someone or something thing that is hopeless is certain to fail or be unsuccessful. □ I don't believe your situation is as hopeless as you think.
3 ADJ If someone is hopeless at something, they are very bad at it. [INFORMAL ] □ [+ at ] I'd be hopeless at working for somebody else.
4 ADJ You use hopeless to emphasize how bad or inadequate something or someone is. [EMPHASIS ] □ Argentina's economic policies were a hopeless mess. ● hope|less|ly ADV [oft ADV after v] □ Harry was hopelessly lost.
hop|per /hɒ pə r / (hoppers ) N‑COUNT A hopper is a large cone-shaped device into which substances such as grain, coal, or animal food can be put and from which they can be released when required.
hop|scotch /hɒ pskɒtʃ/ N‑UNCOUNT Hopscotch is a children's game which involves jumping between squares which are drawn on the ground.
horde /hɔː r d/ (hordes ) N‑COUNT If you describe a crowd of people as a horde , you mean that the crowd is very large and excited and, often, rather frightening or unpleasant. □ [+ of ] This attracts hordes of tourists to Las Vegas.
ho|ri|zon /həra I z ə n/ (horizons )
1 N‑SING The horizon is the line in the far distance where the sky seems to meet the land or the sea. □ A grey smudge appeared on the horizon. That must be Calais, thought Fay. □ The sun had already sunk below the horizon.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Your horizons are the limits of what you want to do or of what you are interested or involved in. □ As your horizons expand, these new ideas can give a whole new meaning to life.
3 PHRASE If something is on the horizon , it is almost certainly going to happen or be done quite soon. □ With this type of cancer there is no obvious breakthrough on the horizon.
hori|zon|tal /hɒ r I zɒ nt ə l, [AM ] hɔː r-/ (horizontals )
1 ADJ Something that is horizontal is flat and level with the ground, rather than at an angle to it. □ The board consists of vertical and horizontal lines. ● N‑SING Horizontal is also a noun. □ Do not raise your left arm above the horizontal. ● hori|zon|tal|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV -ed] □ The wind was cold and drove the snow at him almost horizontally.
2 N‑COUNT A horizontal is a line or structure that is horizontal. □ Horizontals play a large part in all garden design.
hor|mo|nal /hɔː r moʊ n ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Hormonal means relating to or involving hormones. □ …our individual hormonal balance.
hor|mone /hɔː r moʊn/ (hormones ) N‑COUNT A hormone is a chemical, usually occurring naturally in your body, that makes an organ of your body do something.
ho r|mone re|pla ce|ment the ra|py N‑UNCOUNT [usu N n] If a woman has hormone replacement therapy , she takes the hormone oestrogen, usually in order to control the symptoms of the menopause. The abbreviation HRT is often used.
horn /hɔː r n/ (horns )
1 N‑COUNT On a vehicle such as a car, the horn is the device that makes a loud noise as a signal or warning. □ He sounded the car horn.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The horns of an animal such as a cow or deer are the hard pointed things that grow from its head.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Horn is the hard substance that the horns of animals are made of. Horn is sometimes used to make objects such as spoons, buttons, or ornaments.
4 → see also horn-rimmed
5 N‑COUNT A horn is a musical instrument of the brass family. It is a long circular metal tube, wide at one end, which you play by blowing.
6 N‑COUNT A horn is a simple musical instrument consisting of a metal tube that is wide at one end and narrow at the other. You play it by blowing into it. □ …a hunting horn.
7 → see also shoehorn
8 PHRASE If you blow your own horn , you boast about yourself. [mainly AM ]
9 PHRASE If two people lock horns , they argue about something. □ [+ with ] During his six years in office, he often locked horns with lawmakers.
10 PHRASE If you are on the horns of a dilemma , you have to choose between two things, both of which are unpleasant or difficult. □ The head of the New York office was on the horns of a dilemma and wondering what to do.