TKG English Learner's Dictionary

hope

hopeverb

American /hoʊp/ British /həʊp/ Hope rhymes with soap and rope.
third-person singular hopes past tense hoped past participle hoped present participle hoping
very commondefining vocabulary

  1. want something to happen or to be true, and think that it could

    transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + that-clause [V + that] verb + to-infinitive [V + to-inf] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

    Collocations

    adverb + verb really hope, sincerely hope
    verb + preposition hope for something, hope for the best
    phrase I hope so, I hope not, let us hope

    Compare wish (wish is for things that are not true or not likely); expect (expect means you think something will happen)

    1. asay in a short answer that you want something to be true, or not to be true

      Hope so and hope not replace a whole that-clause. Do not say I don't hope so.

      intransitive [I]

      Collocations

      phrase I hope so, I hope not

Word family

  • hope
  • hopeful
  • hopefully
  • hopeless

Choosing between hope · wish · expect

Hope is for something you want and that could happen: I hope you pass the test. Wish is for something that is not true or not likely: I wish I could fly. Expect means you think something will happen, whether you want it or not: I expect it will rain.

Usage

After hope, a present tense often refers to the future: I hope you have a good trip means the same as I hope you will have a good trip. To hope that something does not happen, make the second verb negative: I hope it doesn't rain.

Common mistakes

I wish you pass the exam. I hope you pass the exam.
For something that could really happen, use hope; wish plus a clause is for things that are not true.
I don't hope it rains tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
Make the second verb negative, not hope.
I hope to you have a nice day. I hope you have a nice day.
A to-infinitive after hope cannot have its own subject; use a that-clause.

For translators

Grammar trap "hope" is followed by a that-clause or a to-infinitive. The short answers are I hope so and I hope not; the negative goes on so, not on hope.