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

Williams and Thomas, both aspiring rappers with the YNW collective, were known as YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, respectively. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026

That's most obvious in Malaysia, which aspires to be Southeast Asia’s AI computing hub and has drawn investments and interest from tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Nvidia. —ABC News, 25 Mar. 2026

Notably absent are aspiring mayor and First Lady of Los Angeles Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026

There was no question that at least a few of the attendees, wearing khakis and stand up for sportsmen baseball caps, aspired to power. —Gaby Del Valle, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 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