aspire

verb

as·​pire ə-ˈspī(-ə)r 

aspired; aspiring

intransitive verb

1

: to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal

She aspired to a career in medicine.

2

: ascend, soar

aspirer noun

Synonyms

• intend
• plan
• hope
• mean
• aim
• wish
• go [chiefly Southern & Midland]

Examples of aspire in a Sentence

aspire to great deeds, and you have a better chance of doing good deeds

a tower aspiring towards the heavens

Recent Examples on the Web

Dahl and Clark were just two of several aspiring stars who made it through the first round of season 28 of The Voice. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2025

Overall, the Reds have a middling bullpen – something the Dodgers can only aspire to. —Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025

Feldman told reporters in May that the startup aspired to go public in 2025. —Jordan Novet, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025

In both cases, their cultish devotion to a spouse has generated enduring curiosity, part of which may be envy, since many women have aspired to serve as a muse to genius. —Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French aspirer, from Latin aspirare, literally, to breathe upon, from ad- + spirare to breathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for aspire

• admire
• afire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire
• haywire
• hellfire
• inquire
• inspire
• newswire
• perspire
• rehire

Kids Definition

aspire

verb

as·​pire ə-ˈspī(ə)r 

aspired; aspiring

: to work to get something high or great

aspirer noun