Noun
a hopeless or desperate enterprise
Source: WordNet..he continues to cling to the forlorn hope that I will turn into one of those swooning females...and fling myself squeeling at him whenever anything happens. Like all men, he clings to his illusions. Elizabeth Peters
The Forlorn Hope was for the brave. It may have been a courage born of desperation, or foolhardiness, but it was courage just the same. (pg. 13) Bernard Cornwell
As a forlorn hope he had to wed a third wife; but his heart was not engaged and his expectations were far from sanguine. Source: Internet
In order to allow the forlorn hope and support troops to get close enough to exploit the breach, more zigzag trenches could be dug even closer to the walls with more parallel trenches to protect and conceal the attacking troops. Source: Internet