hope against hope
To continue to hope, even when what is hoped for seems unlikely or impossible.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I hope against hope that my lost cat returns home.”
“Even though the doctors said the treatment might not work, the family continued to hope against hope for a miracle.”
“Despite the overwhelming evidence that the business would fail, the founder chose to hope against hope, pouring his remaining savings into one final, desperate attempt to save the company.”
Likely a paraphrase of the first few words of Romans 4:18.
- 01
cross my heart and hope to die
Added to a promise or a statement to show how serious one was about being honest in what one said
- 02
dash someone's hopes
To undercut or undermine someone's dreams or aspirations.
- 03
get one's hopes up
To become enthusiastic about something that is not yet guaranteed to happen.
Last updated August 10, 2026