lose hope — stop hoping
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To stop believing that something good will happen or that a situation will improve.
Say it like a native
Textbook They relinquished all optimism regarding a recovery.
Native They were starting to lose hope.
'Lose hope' is natural; 'relinquish optimism' is formal.
Pattern: lose hope (about/in/that...)
In use
- After months of searching for a job, he started to lose hope.daily life
- There were times during my studies when I felt like giving up, but I tried not to lose hope because I knew hard work would pay off eventually.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Don't lose the hope.
✓ Don't lose hope.
No 'the' — 'lose hope' (uncountable, no article).
Common collocations
lose hope— never, don't, all, begin to
Don't confuse it
Contrast with 'keep hope' or 'stay hopeful,' which mean to continue believing things will get better.