white hope
Americannoun
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a person who is expected to accomplish much in a given field.
the white hope of the American theater.
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Sports. (formerly) a white man who had a good chance of winning the heavyweight boxing championship from a Black man.
noun
Etymology
Origin of white hope
First recorded in 1905–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“He became the banner, the poster child for the great white hope of evangelicalism, the salvation of the church in America,” she said.
From Seattle Times
If I try really hard, I can imagine what those Trumpers must feel, as the reign of their great white hope nears its end.
From Los Angeles Times
Coleman-Mitchell, who is black, was in the spotlight again in March when former Deputy Commissioner Susan Roman resigned and alleged that she was the subject of racial discrimination, including being called “the great white hope.”
From Reuters
In the words of the great white hope of Conservative electoral strategy, Australian Lynton Crosby: “You can’t fatten the pig on market day.”
From The Guardian
Laettner was seen as the great white hope in a sport increasingly dominated by African-American men.
From The Guardian
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
