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

Baek Ki-hyeon aspired to walk a path of virtue and provide for their sister through honest means — but his calculating spymaster big brother was never going to let them out of his grasp. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026

Domingo has even adapted the mantra when mentoring aspiring actors. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026

Once artificial intelligence was everywhere with the 2022 introduction of ChatGPT, companies of all sizes and even aspiring entrepreneurs with no tech background suddenly had an unprecedented ability to build software quickly. — Srinivas Velamoor, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Authentic Detroit pies, with a twist The most recent newcomer to the scene aspires to be the most authentic. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 23 Sep. 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