1
as in aspiration
eager desire for personal advancement
"Talent without ambition will not make you a star," the singer's voice coach liked to remind her
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2
as in initiative
readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity
the ambition shown by the undersea explorers of the Mariana Trench, the deepest in the world
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3
as in goal
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
his ambition is to study international business, then get a job overseas
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ambition
Treadwell-Collins has grand ambitions now that Rivals is so well established.
—
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 May 2026
The current course of attacking his military record only serves to fuel his ambitions to rise to the highest national office.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2026
Yet rather than offering a clear articulation of Beijing’s ambitions, many participants framed their answers in the opposite—insisting that what China does not want is to become a superpower in the image of the United States.
—Yu Jie, Time, 13 May 2026
Fans familiar with Coraline and ParaNorman will recognize the Laika animation style but, judging by the trailer, Wildwood is a step up in scale and ambition.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 May 2026
The current course of attacking his military record only serves to fuel his ambitions to rise to the highest national office.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2026
Yet rather than offering a clear articulation of Beijing’s ambitions, many participants framed their answers in the opposite—insisting that what China does not want is to become a superpower in the image of the United States.
—Yu Jie, Time, 13 May 2026
Fans familiar with Coraline and ParaNorman will recognize the Laika animation style but, judging by the trailer, Wildwood is a step up in scale and ambition.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ambition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambition
Noun
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The Pinstripe Bowl between Penn State and Clemson featured teams that opened the year with national championship aspirations but combined for 13 regular-season victories.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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With aspirations to become the go-to tech companion for young people around the world, VRURC is continuing to explore and create within this widely applicable sector.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Beyond core transportation infrastructure, some states also rely on revenues from fuel taxes to fund education, environmental initiatives and other public programs.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
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Organizations often lack the right IT or data infrastructure, and the testing and resiliency requirements for a company-wide implementation are far more complex than those for an isolated initiative.—
Paul Goydan,
Fortune,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Brown said the goal is to modernize the building.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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Their goal was to boost inbound travel, especially among the domestic market, and Nuo specializes in that, although there are plenty of foreign guests here, too.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Bates also expressed concern that, under the Administration’s view of the case, its determination that the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional cannot be challenged in court.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
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There is a hyper awareness to TSADACM, a determination to point out each of its Easter eggs and allusions, lest the viewer think Schoenbrun is trying to outsmart anyone.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Noun
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But their actions – the unfriending, the social ostracization – were unkind and extreme, at least from your telling.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
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Into that landscape comes Fred Cavayé’s Les Misérables, a new action-skewed adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic about crime, justice and redemption, starring Vincent Lindon as Jean Valjean and Tahar Rahim as the relentless Inspector Javert.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Noun
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For all intents and purposes, the bulk of the offseason acquisition for the Dallas Cowboys is wrapped up.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 May 2026
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The board’s ouster comes amid a purge of independent scientific and research groups whose purpose is to advise the federal government’s science and health policies.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
11 May 2026
Noun
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That anticlimax proved enduring motivation for son Clark, now the chairman of the Chiefs.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
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Most organizations continue to approach performance through the lens of the individual, focusing on motivation or endurance, while overlooking the structural conditions that quietly determine how people function over time.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The path of totality is only a few hours' drive from Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Marseille and Lyon in France and only a day's drive from Paris, Geneva in Switzerland and Turin in Italy.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 May 2026
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Ashcraft’s heater was a good pitch given Eldridge’s long arms, but the 6-foot-7 first baseman turned on the pitch and sent a towering 364-foot drive over the right-field fence.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ambition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambition. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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