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

• aim
• allow [chiefly Southern & Midland]
• calculate
• contemplate
• design
• go [chiefly Southern & Midland]
• intend
• look
• mean
• meditate
• plan
• propose
• purport
• purpose

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

The series follows 11 aspiring fashion designers on the raw, emotional journey of creating stunning fashion pieces worthy of the music world’s biggest names like JoJo Siwa, Paula Abdul, Toni Braxton, Ty Dolla $ign, and more. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024

The most fateful encounter comes early on, when a wealthy New Yorker hires Ripley to travel to Italy to lure his playboy son, an aspiring painter named Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), to come back home. —Brian Lowry, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

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

Kids Definition

aspire

verb

as·​pire ə-ˈspī(ə)r 

aspired; aspiring

: to work to get something high or great

aspirer noun