Idioms are fun phrases that mean something different from the actual words inside them. People use them to make talking and writing more colorful and exciting. In this article, you will learn sixty helpful idioms that all describe feeling discouraged, giving up, or losing hope.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms for losing hope that mean feeling hopeless or letting go of optimism. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Losing Hope
1. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To surrender or give up completely when things get too hard.
For Example: After trying to solve the puzzle for an hour, he decided to throw in the towel. / The team was down by twenty points, but they refused to throw in the towel.
Other Ways to Say: Give up / Surrender completely
2. At the end of your rope
Meaning: Having no patience, energy, or hope left to deal with problems.
For Example: After hours of crying babies, mom felt like she was at the end of her rope. / I am at the end of my rope trying to fix this old bicycle.
Other Ways to Say: Out of patience / Exhausted limits
3. Lose heart
Meaning: To become discouraged and stop believing things will get better.
For Example: Do not lose heart just because your first painting did not win an award. / He began to lose heart after failing three driving tests.
Other Ways to Say: Grow discouraged / Give up hope
4. Give up the ghost
Meaning: To stop trying because a plan or project has completely failed.
For Example: My old computer finally gave up the ghost right before I finished my essay. / The broken toy car gave up the ghost and stopped running.
Other Ways to Say: Stop trying / Break down
5. Down in the dumps
Meaning: Feeling very sad, gloomy, and hopeless about life.
For Example: She looked down in the dumps after her favorite toy broke. / He felt a bit down in the dumps on a rainy indoor recess day.
Other Ways to Say: Feeling sad / Very blue
6. Hang your head
Meaning: To feel ashamed, defeated, or deeply discouraged.
For Example: There is no need to hang your head after trying your absolute best. / He walked away with his head hung low after missing the shot.
Other Ways to Say: Feel defeated / Hang low
7. Bite the dust
Meaning: To suffer a total failure or end up ruined.
For Example: Our plan for a surprise party bit the dust when the secret got out. / The old lawnmower finally bit the dust.
Other Ways to Say: Fail completely / Break down
8. Down in the mouth
Meaning: Looking sad, disappointed, and devoid of hope.
For Example: Why are you looking so down in the mouth today? / He looked down in the mouth when his ice cream scoop fell off.
Other Ways to Say: Looking sad / Unhappy expression
9. Give up the ship
Meaning: To abandon a difficult project or cause completely.
For Example: Even though the club lost members, we refused to give up the ship. / Do not give up the ship on your science project just yet.
Other Ways to Say: Quit working / Abandon cause
10. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: Reaching the lowest and most hopeless point in a situation.
For Example: After losing his keys and wallet, he felt he had hit rock bottom. / Failing the test made him realize he had hit rock bottom.
Other Ways to Say: Lowest point / Worst stage
11. Up against the wall
Meaning: Being in a desperate or trapped situation with no hope of escape.
For Example: With the project due tomorrow morning, we felt like we were up against the wall. / The team was up against the wall after losing their gear.
Other Ways to Say: In a tight spot / Cornered
12. Out of the running
Meaning: Having zero chance left to achieve a goal or win.
For Example: After dropping the baton, our relay team was out of the running. / He missed two questions, putting him out of the running for the prize.
Other Ways to Say: Eliminated / No chance
13. Heart sinking
Meaning: Feeling a sudden wave of disappointment, worry, and lost hope.
For Example: My heart sank when I realized I left my homework at home. / She felt her heart sinking upon hearing the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Disappointed / Sudden worry
14. Crestfallen
Meaning: Feeling sad, disappointed, and deeply discouraged after a failure.
For Example: He looked crestfallen when his soccer team lost the match. / She felt crestfallen upon hearing her favorite show was canceled.
Other Ways to Say: Disappointed / Dejected
15. Downhearted
Meaning: Feeling discouraged and lacking any enthusiasm or future hope.
For Example: Do not feel downhearted if you miss a basket on the first try. / He felt downhearted after losing his keys.
Other Ways to Say: Discouraged / Sad
16. Despondent
Meaning: Feeling completely hopeless, gloomy, and deeply sad.
For Example: He felt despondent after misplacing his favorite baseball glove. / She looked despondent when her painting was ruined.
Other Ways to Say: Hopeless / Deeply sad
17. Walking away empty-handed
Meaning: To finish a struggle with zero rewards or success.
For Example: We played hard in the finals, but walked away empty-handed. / Losing the final match meant we walked away empty-handed.
Other Ways to Say: Win nothing / No prize
18. Kiss the trophy goodbye
Meaning: To realize that winning or succeeding is no longer possible.
For Example: When we lost our third game, we had to kiss the trophy goodbye. / Do not make mistakes or you will kiss the trophy goodbye.
Other Ways to Say: Lose chance / Give up hope
19. Blow your chances
Meaning: To ruin your opportunity to succeed through a mistake.
For Example: Missing that easy shot meant we blew our chances at the title. / Do not blow your chances by playing carelessly.
Other Ways to Say: Ruin opportunity / Lose chance
20. Back to square one
Meaning: Having to start over from the beginning after a hopeless failure.
For Example: When our science project collapsed, we had to go back to square one. / Making a mistake on the final step meant going back to square one.
Other Ways to Say: Start over / Begin anew
21. Go down in flames
Meaning: To fail completely and spectacularly in a project or attempt.
For Example: Our plan to build a giant cardboard castle went down in flames when it rained. / His attempt at baking a cake went down in flames.
Other Ways to Say: Fail completely / Crash down
22. Fall flat
Meaning: To fail completely to succeed or inspire hope.
For Example: My opening joke at the talent show fell completely flat. / The new classroom rule fell flat with the students.
Other Ways to Say: Fail completely / Not succeed
23. Go belly up
Meaning: To fail completely, like a business going bankrupt with no hope.
For Example: The local toy store went belly up after the new mall opened. / My model rocket project went belly up during launch.
Other Ways to Say: Go bankrupt / Fail utterly
24. Go up in smoke
Meaning: For plans, dreams, or hopeful ideas to fail and disappear completely.
For Example: Our plan for a beach trip went up in smoke when it started snowing. / His idea for the club fundraiser went up in smoke.
Other Ways to Say: Fail entirely / Vanish away
25. Come to grief
Meaning: To suffer misfortune, failure, or hopeless disaster.
For Example: Trying to jump the fence on a bicycle came to grief when the tire popped. / His messy plan for the clubhouse came to grief.
Other Ways to Say: Meet disaster / Fail badly
26. Lose your grip
Meaning: To lose control over a situation or your optimistic focus.
For Example: He slipped on the wet rock because he began to lose his grip. / Try to stay calm and do not lose your grip during the test.
Other Ways to Say: Lose control / Slip away
27. Come up short
Meaning: To fail to reach a required goal, leaving you hopeless.
For Example: Our fundraiser came up short of buying new books for the library. / We tried our best, but our score came up short.
Other Ways to Say: Fail goal / Fall short
28. Fall by the wayside
Meaning: To be abandoned or fail as time passes with no hope of revival.
For Example: Many of my New Year resolutions tended to fall by the wayside. / His early plans for the garden fell by the wayside.
Other Ways to Say: Be abandoned / Get forgotten
29. On the ropes
Meaning: Being close to total defeat with very little hope left.
For Example: The defending chess champion was on the ropes in the final round. / Our science project was on the ropes before our teacher gave us a hint.
Other Ways to Say: Near defeat / Failing fast
30. Grasping at straws
Meaning: Trying desperate solutions when all hope seems completely lost.
For Example: With no answers left on the test, he was grasping at straws. / Searching for the lost ring in the deep grass felt like grasping at straws.
Other Ways to Say: Desperate try / Futile hope
31. Down in the dust
Meaning: Feeling utterly defeated, sad, and stripped of hope.
For Example: After losing the championship, the team felt down in the dust. / He felt down in the dust when his project fell apart.
Other Ways to Say: Defeated / Miserable
32. Giving up the ghost of an idea
Meaning: Letting go of a hopeless thought or dream.
For Example: He finally started giving up the ghost of an idea to build a flying machine. / She stopped trying, giving up the ghost of an idea.
Other Ways to Say: Dropping thought / Abandoning plan
33. Lost cause
Meaning: A person, plan, or situation with zero hope of success.
For Example: Trying to fix the ancient broken toaster felt like a lost cause. / Do not treat the math problem as a lost cause just yet.
Other Ways to Say: Hopeless case / Impossible task
34. Dead end
Meaning: A course of action that leads to no progress or future hope.
For Example: Searching for the lost keys in the empty park felt like a dead end. / His career path seemed like a dead end until he changed jobs.
Other Ways to Say: No exit / Hopeless route
35. Hanging by a thread
Meaning: Being in a very risky situation where hope could snap at any second.
For Example: Our chance of winning the game was hanging by a thread. / His patience was hanging by a thread during the long wait.
Other Ways to Say: Very risky / Barely surviving
36. Bleak outlook
Meaning: A hopeless and gloomy view of what the future holds.
For Example: The stormy weather gave us a bleak outlook for our weekend picnic. / He had a bleak outlook after failing his first quiz.
Other Ways to Say: Gloomy future / Hopeless view
37. Reaching a dead end
Meaning: Stopping because a plan offers zero further hope or progress.
For Example: We were solving the maze until we reached a dead end. / His research project reached a dead end.
Other Ways to Say: Stopped progress / No way forward
38. Drawing a blank
Meaning: Failing to remember anything, feeling hopeless on a test.
For Example: I tried to remember the answer, but my mind was drawing a blank. / We searched everywhere, but kept drawing a blank.
Other Ways toSay: Forgetting / Finding nothing
39. Running on empty
Meaning: Having no mental or physical energy left to keep trying.
For Example: After staying up late to study, I was running on empty. / The tired worker felt like he was running on empty.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted / Drained
40. Hitting a brick wall
Meaning: Stopping suddenly because you cannot make any more progress.
For Example: I was solving the puzzle quickly until I hit a brick wall. / The team hit a brick wall when trying to design the robot.
Other Ways to Say: Sudden stop / Stuck progress
41. Wiped out
Meaning: Feeling completely drained of strength, hope, and energy.
For Example: Playing soccer for two hours left me completely wiped out. / She felt wiped out after cleaning the whole house.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted / Spent
42. Dead on your feet
Meaning: Being so exhausted that you feel hopeless and can barely stand.
For Example: After the long field trip, the students were dead on their feet. / She worked so hard she felt dead on her feet by nightfall.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely tired / Exhausted
43. Ready to drop
Meaning: Feeling so weary that you are about to give up entirely.
For Example: The sleepy toddler looked ready to drop after a long trip. / I stayed up so late I was ready to drop.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted / Sleepy
44. Out of gas
Meaning: Feeling completely out of energy to keep fighting for a goal.
For Example: I ran up the hill and felt completely out of gas. / He felt out of gas by the end of the soccer game.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted / Out of energy
45. Down in the cellar
Meaning: Feeling extremely low in spirits with zero optimism.
For Example: His mood went down in the cellar when his game was canceled. / She felt down in the cellar all morning.
Other Ways to Say: Very low spirits / Sad
46. Down in the boots
Meaning: Feeling thoroughly disappointed, defeated, and hopeless.
For Example: His spirits were down in the boots when he lost his wallet. / She felt down in the boots after the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Disappointed / Sad
47. In the doldrums
Meaning: Feeling stuck in a sad, hopeless, and unenergetic mood.
For Example: The long rainy week put the whole class in the doldrums. / He felt stuck in the doldrums all afternoon.
Other Ways to Say: Gloomy mood / Dull spirits
48. Feeling grim
Meaning: Feeling very unpleasant, gloomy, and without cheerful hope.
For Example: The stormy weather outside made everyone feel grim. / He felt grim after eating spoiled food.
Other Ways to Say: Gloomy / Unpleasant
49. Pessimistic view
Meaning: Believing that only bad things will happen with no hope for good.
For Example: Try not to take a pessimistic view before the game even starts. / He had a pessimistic view about finding his lost toy.
Other Ways to Say: Negative outlook / Doubtful mind
50. Turning your back on hope
Meaning: Choosing to stop believing in a positive future.
For Example: Do not start turning your back on hope when things get tough. / He regretted turning his back on hope too early.
Other Ways to Say: Abandoning optimism / Quitting belief
51. Writing it off as a loss
Meaning: Accepting that something is ruined and letting go of hope for it.
For Example: After the phone broke, we just wrote it off as a loss. / He wrote the game off as a loss and started practicing anew.
Other Ways to Say: Accept ruin / Give up on it
52. Letting go of the dream
Meaning: Surrendering a long-held hope or goal because it feels impossible.
For Example: Letting go of the dream of winning the prize was difficult for her. / He felt sad about letting go of the dream.
Other Ways to Say: Surrendering hope / Quitting goal
53. Seeing no light at the end
Meaning: Believing that a hard situation will never end or improve.
For Example: During the long test, he felt like he was seeing no light at the end. / She felt trapped, seeing no light at the end of her chores.
Other Ways to Say: Hopeless struggle / Endless trouble
54. Hitting a blank wall
Meaning: Finding no answers and feeling completely stuck and hopeless.
For Example: Trying to find the missing toy felt like hitting a blank wall. / We hit a blank wall while researching our history topic.
Other Ways to Say: Total block / No answers
55. Letting hope fade
Meaning: Allowing your optimism to slowly disappear over time.
For Example: As days passed without news, we felt ourselves letting hope fade. / Do not start letting hope fade so quickly.
Other Ways to Say: Losing optimism / Fading belief
56. Yielding to despair
Meaning: Giving in completely to sadness and a complete lack of hope.
For Example: He fought hard against his worries, but finally ended up yielding to despair. / Try not to start yielding to despair when homework gets hard.
Other Ways to Say: Giving in to sadness / Hopeless surrender
57. Throwing your hands up
Meaning: Surrendering in frustration because you see no hopeful way forward.
For Example: When the puzzle pieces kept falling, she threw her hands up in defeat. / He threw his hands up when the printer stopped working.
Other Ways to Say: Surrender in frustration / Give up
58. Abandoning all hope
Meaning: Completely stopping any expectation of a positive outcome.
For Example: Walking into the haunted maze felt like abandoning all hope of staying brave. / Do not start abandoning all hope during a difficult test.
Other Ways to Say: Total surrender / Quitting entirely
59. Raising the white flag of surrender
Meaning: Admitting total defeat and giving up any chance of winning.
For Example: We were losing by so much that we felt like raising the white flag of surrender. / The team did not want to start raising the white flag of surrender early.
Other Ways to Say: Surrendering / Admitting defeat
60. Calling it quits
Meaning: Decidedly stopping an activity because you have lost all hope of success.
For Example: After three hours of trying to fix the bike, dad called it quits. / We decided on calling it quits when the rain started pouring down.
Other Ways to Say: Stopping work / Quitting entirely
Exercise to Practice
- After trying to solve the puzzle for an hour, he decided to throw in the ________.
- After hours of crying babies, mom felt like she was at the end of her ________.
- Do not ________ heart just because your first painting did not win an award.
- My old computer finally gave up the ________ right before I finished my essay.
- She looked down in the ________ after her favorite toy broke.
- There is no need to ________ your head after trying your absolute best.
- Why are you looking so down in the ________ today?
- When our science project collapsed, we had to go back to square ________.
- My heart ________ when I realized I left my homework at home.
- He looked ________ when his soccer team lost the match.
- When we lost our third game, we had to kiss the ________ goodbye.
- Trying to fix the ancient broken toaster felt like a lost ________.
- Searching for the lost keys in the empty park felt like a dead ________.
- Our chance of winning the game was hanging by a ________.
- After three hours of trying to fix the bike, dad called it ________.
Answer Key
- towel
- rope
- lose
- ghost
- dumps
- hang
- mouth
- one
- sank
- crestfallen
- trophy
- cause
- end
- thread
- quits
Conclusion
Learning idioms about losing hope helps you describe difficult times and feelings of discouragement in vivid ways. Instead of just saying you feel sad, you can paint a picture with language by using these expressive phrases. Try using a few of these idioms when you write your next school story or talk with friends.
