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 Search for Meaningful Careers Younger professionals prioritize careers that align deeply with their values, experiences and aspire to share work environments adaptable and flexible. —Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

Appearing on Instagram, Anthony also addressed all fathers and revealed that the proudest thing for him was that both his sons had become great human beings, a point all fathers should aspire to achieve. —Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

According to Camille, their son aspires to go into the entertainment industry as well. —Katie Mannion, People.com, 18 June 2025

The company had issued about 20,000 cards, mostly to migrants from India and Nigeria, since May last year, and now aspires to reach more of the roughly 1 million people who move to the UK annually, Bhatt said. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 June 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