as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
college is his immediate aspiration after he graduates from high school
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Recent Examples of aspirations
The United States respects the voice of the Iranian people and their aspirations.
—
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026
Some of these skew toward the quirkier side, and a couple are blatant reaches (January wish lists are where our most delirious aspirations belong, after all).
—Ava Wallace, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026
This, too, is the post-World War II order — the Cold War order, in which countries colonized by the Soviet Union were excluded from the liberal aspirations asserted by the West.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
The content creator jokes that for her, with each new year, the same old aspirations roll around time and again — though she's never been one for big sweeping resolutions.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
With aspirations of reaching the Premier League for the first time since the 2000-01 season, Yang and Esse will add to Lampard’s wide options that already include Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The French pastry shop founded by mother-daughter duo Rosaie Guillem and Audrey Guillem-Saba, whose aspirations are to introduce Americans to authentic macarons.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
And with the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, one more venue is scheduled to disappear for musicians with late-night aspirations.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
To get a sense of how these changes are affecting the next generation’s aspirations, Wired spoke to five high school seniors across the United States about their futures.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Nov. 2025
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026
Some of these skew toward the quirkier side, and a couple are blatant reaches (January wish lists are where our most delirious aspirations belong, after all).
—Ava Wallace, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2026
This, too, is the post-World War II order — the Cold War order, in which countries colonized by the Soviet Union were excluded from the liberal aspirations asserted by the West.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
The content creator jokes that for her, with each new year, the same old aspirations roll around time and again — though she's never been one for big sweeping resolutions.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
With aspirations of reaching the Premier League for the first time since the 2000-01 season, Yang and Esse will add to Lampard’s wide options that already include Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
The French pastry shop founded by mother-daughter duo Rosaie Guillem and Audrey Guillem-Saba, whose aspirations are to introduce Americans to authentic macarons.
—Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
And with the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, one more venue is scheduled to disappear for musicians with late-night aspirations.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
To get a sense of how these changes are affecting the next generation’s aspirations, Wired spoke to five high school seniors across the United States about their futures.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspirations
Noun
-
Robertson scored his 28th and 29th goals of the season early in the third period.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Brodin has three goals and 12 assists in 42 games for the Wild, who entered Tuesday’s game with 65 points, second-best in the NHL behind Central Division rival Colorado.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only.—
Ethan M. Stone,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Marvel has publicly acknowledged that the studio's productions often scan actors' bodies, though the scans are generally only used for visual effects purposes rather than storing actors' likenesses for future projects.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Attorneys and advocates have repeatedly criticized the conditions in ICE’s detention center in Aurora and have protested against plans to open more facilities in parts of rural Colorado.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Full stack Huawei has expanded its Ascend series of AI chips in recent years and plans to launch its next-generation Ascend 950 in 2026.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Scaling robots alongside cars The automaker is backing its humanoid ambitions with major investment.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
To the contrary, though the film is frequently funny, Brewer takes their ambitions and reversals seriously.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The novel follows Viola Lockhart, the last living member of house Rosebourne — a family that inherited from its fairy ancestor the ability to magically infuse fragrance to achieve their aims.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
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One of its aims is to lay the groundwork for having the college’s full accreditation restored.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Keefe, his assistant coaches and team officials could not continue to preach those objectives without holding Whitmore accountable.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Here again, his objectives collide.—
Javier Corrales,
Time,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Except for Skinny Pedro, none of the men doubted the company’s good intentions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Since the Chiefs last month announced their intentions to hop over the state line, many fans have felt a sense of sorrow.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Needham compiled its list by polling researchers for their ideas about which stocks would outperform in 2026.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
16 Jan. 2026
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Let my trusty spreadsheet join the parade of ideas on splitting up California.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aspirations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspirations. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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