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 of aspire

• intend
• plan
• hope
• mean
• aim
• wish
• go

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 community could splinter across new competitor sites — which, yes, opens up potential opportunities for aspiring critics to gain exposure and find their followings. — J. Kim Murphy, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2026

Ethan crashes with his latest terrible hook-up, a perpetually shirtless aspiring actor (Adrian Nik) whose latest self-tape, in a rather The Other Two-ish touch, is for a live-action remake of Ratatouille. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026

There is a familiar eagerness in Dan, the aspiring actor Gisondo portrays, but the similarities largely end there. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026

Yet aspiring actors, screenwriters and directors, many of them film school students like Henderson, are still making the pilgrimage to Los Angeles. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

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