ASPIRE Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

aspire

verb

ə-ˈspī(-ə)r

Definition of aspire

as in to intend

to have in mind as a purpose or goal aspire to great deeds, and you have a better chance of doing good deeds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to rise

to move or extend upward a tower aspiring towards the heavens

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of aspire The community could splinter across new competitor sites — which, yes, opens up potential opportunities for aspiring critics to gain exposure and find their followings. — J. Kim Murphy, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2026 Ethan crashes with his latest terrible hook-up, a perpetually shirtless aspiring actor (Adrian Nik) whose latest self-tape, in a rather The Other Two-ish touch, is for a live-action remake of Ratatouille. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026 Instead, the now 62-year-old has argued that gaining experience first can improve an aspiring founder’s odds of success. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2026 Thomas noticed the passes that not only Brown was dropping, but other Division I aspiring players were as well, like junior Sir Homer King Webb, junior Micah Slade and junior Christian Butler. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aspire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspire

Verb

These functions are intended to make the technology easier to operate across changing sailing conditions, while reducing the energy required to generate the bubbles.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 9 Nov. 2026
Then, however, the whistle blew and officials said that the previous incomplete pass intended for Tremble was under review.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of intend

Verb

As the second most expensive housing market in Southern California, USC expects Ventura County's average rent to rise even more, from $2,675 to $2,849 by 2029.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
Democrats captured seven Senate seats nationally, a number that could rise to nine with two races yet to be called.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of rise

Verb

SpaceX plans to retire both the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy shortly after the fully reusable Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, is up and running.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 Nov. 2026
The litigation could become a growing financial risk as the company plans for a potential blockbuster IPO.

— Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of plan

Verb

Shilling and his team’s report was published nearly a week after two coyotes were recorded trying to ascend the uncompleted Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which covers 10 lanes of traffic over the 101 Freeway.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
But before ascending the caffeine mountaintop, the business was a humble roadside operation.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of ascend

Verb

Moments later, the crew reported precipitation and asked to climb to 37,000 feet, and the controller approved.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
Bishop Moore has climbed the state ranking ladder and is the top seed in 4A with by far the strongest strength of schedule for that class.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of climb

Verb

With the wool industry in decline after decades of drought, overgrazing and soaring production costs, some ranchers are betting on a different kind of shed — filled not with fleece but with blinking racks of servers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
The company showed robust sales growth despite soaring memory costs, which have sandbagged other electronics makers, and which Apple blamed for a $100 price increase on iPhones.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of soar

Browse Nearby Words

aspirations

aspire

aspired

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Aspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspire. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of aspire

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gauntlet

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes