hope against hope en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Likely a paraphrase of the first few words of Romans 4:18.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) To continue to hope, even when what is hoped for seems unlikely or impossible.
Would he be in time to rescue? He hoped against hope. At least he could be revenged, and in his wrath it seemed to him that he was equal to the task of wiping out the entire population of that terrible city.
1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 206:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hoping against hope | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| hopes against hope | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| hoped against hope | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| hoped against hope | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Translations (3)
sh ȕzalūdno se nádati (to keep hoping even when the odds are against) · it sperare nell'impossibile (to keep hoping even when the odds are against) · sh у̏залӯдно се на́дати (to keep hoping even when the odds are against)