disappoint

verb

dis·​ap·​point ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint 

disappointed; disappointing; disappoints

transitive verb

: to fail to meet the expectation or hope of : frustrate

the team disappointed its fans

He disappointed his parents with his decision.

intransitive verb

: to fail to meet a hope or expectation : to cause disappointment

where the show disappoints most is in the work of the younger generation

—John Ashbery

Synonyms

• cheat
• dissatisfy
• fail
• let down

Examples of disappoint in a Sentence

The team disappointed its fans.

The show may disappoint some viewers.

The novel disappoints by being predictable and overly long.

Recent Examples on the Web

All the chatter from people who said they were disappointed in this resolution — hold on, this is a win. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025

Their transfer business is one place to start, with basically all of their recruits having disappointed, with the possible exception of Matheus Fernandes. —Nick Miller, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

So members of the Black creative community were shocked and disappointed when Black Image Center recently announced on Instagram its imminent physical closure. —Karla Marie Sanford, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025

That might disappoint fans who wanted Nintendo to take bigger, bolder swings. —James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English disapointen to dispossess, from Middle French desapointer, from des- dis- + appointer to arrange — more at appoint

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for disappoint

• counterpoint
• multipoint
• needlepoint
• reappoint
• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint

Kids Definition

disappoint

verb

dis·​ap·​point ˌdis-ə-ˈpȯint 

: to fail to meet the expectation or hope of

the team disappointed its fans