aspiration

noun

as·​pi·​ra·​tion ˌa-spə-ˈrā-shən 

1

a

: a strong desire to achieve something high or great

an aspiration to become famous

—usually plural

a young man with political/literary aspirations

b

: an object of such desire

An acting career is her aspiration.

2

: a drawing of something in, out, up, or through by or as if by suction: such as

a

: the act of breathing and especially of breathing in

b

: the withdrawal (as by suction) of fluid or tissue from the body

the aspiration of stomach fluids

c

: the taking of foreign matter into the lungs with the respiratory current

problems caused by the aspiration of fluids into the patient's lungs

3

linguistics

a

: audible breath that accompanies or comprises a speech sound

b

: the pronunciation or addition of an aspiration

the aspiration of the letter "h" in "a house"

also : the symbol of an aspiration

Synonyms

• ambition

Choose the Right Synonym for aspiration

ambition, aspiration, pretension mean strong desire for advancement.

ambition applies to the desire for personal advancement or preferment and may suggest equally a praiseworthy or an inordinate desire.

driven by ambition

aspiration implies a striving after something higher than oneself.

an aspiration to become president someday

pretension suggests ardent desire for recognition of accomplishment often without actual possession of the necessary ability and therefore may imply presumption.

has literary pretensions

Examples of aspiration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His aspiration to be a country artist was what first brought the Texas native to Nashville, at age 19 in 1993. —Nancy Kruh, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025

South Carolina entered the season with playoff aspirations, but those have already been crushed. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

Palmer’s protagonist, Clodagh Harmon, is a Workhorse with Show Horse aspirations. —New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

Investors are bidding up the entry price to own 1/30th of an entity with a new $76 billion TV contract and global aspirations, including building new leagues in Africa and Europe. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for aspiration

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

aspiration

noun

as·​pi·​ra·​tion ˌas-pə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: pronunciation with or as an aspirate

2

: a drawing of something in, out, up, or through by suction

3

a

: a strong desire to achieve something high or great

b

: an object of such desire

Medical Definition

aspiration

noun

as·​pi·​ra·​tion ˌas-pə-ˈrā-shən 

: a drawing of something in, out, up, or through by or as if by suction: as

a

: the act of breathing and especially of breathing in

b

: the withdrawal of fluid or friable tissue from the body

c

: the taking of foreign matter into the lungs with the respiratory current

aspirational

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective