aim
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to position or direct (a firearm, ball, arrow, rocket, etc.) so that, on firing or release, the discharged projectile will hit a target or travel along a certain path.
- Synonyms:
- point
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to intend or direct for a particular effect or purpose.
to aim a satire at snobbery.
verb (used without object)
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to point or direct a gun, punch, etc., toward.
He aimed at the target but missed it.
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to strive; try (usually followed by to orat ).
We aim to please.
They aim at saving something every month.
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to intend.
She aims to go tomorrow.
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to direct efforts, as toward an object.
The satire aimed at modern greed.
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Obsolete. to estimate; guess.
noun
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the act of aiming or directing anything at or toward a particular point or target.
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the direction in which a weapon or missile is pointed; the line of sighting.
within the cannon's aim.
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the point intended to be hit; thing or person aimed at.
to miss one's aim.
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something intended or desired to be attained by one's efforts; purpose.
whatever his aim in life may be.
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Obsolete. conjecture; guess.
idioms
noun
verb
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to point (a weapon, missile, etc) or direct (a blow) at a particular person or object; level
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(tr) to direct (satire, criticism, etc) at a person, object, etc
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(intr; foll by at or an infinitive) to propose or intend
we aim to leave early
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(intr; often foll by at or for) to direct one's efforts or strive (towards)
to aim at better communications
to aim high
noun
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the action of directing something at an object
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the direction in which something is pointed; line of sighting (esp in the phrase to take aim )
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the object at which something is aimed; target
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intention; purpose
abbreviation
Related Words
Aim, end, object all imply something that is the goal of one's efforts. Aim implies that toward which one makes a direct line, refusing to be diverted from it: a nobleness of aim; one's aim in life. End emphasizes the goal as a cause of efforts: the end for which one strives. Object emphasizes the goal as that toward which all efforts are directed: the object of years of study.
Other Word Forms
- aimer noun
- aimful adjective
- aimfully adverb
- misaim verb
- unaimed adjective
- unaiming adjective
- underaim noun
- well-aimed adjective
Etymology
Origin of aim
First recorded in 1275–1325; late Middle English aimen, from Anglo-French a(e)smer, eimer, from Old French aesmer, from Vulgar Latin adaestimāre (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin ad- ad- ( def. ) + aestimāre ( estimate ( def. ) ); replacing Middle English amen, from Old French (dialectal) amer, from Latin aestimāre
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When I sued my medical providers in 2023, holding the line between helping and enabling was my aim.
The contentious decision came as part of a "National Strategy for Food, Nutrition and Climate," setting out the government's aims until 2030 on balancing a healthy diet while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
From Barron's
But ultimately, Chipotle, which has long promoted what it describes as its careful sourcing of food, aims to appeal to consumers based on something other than price, Boatwright explained.
From MarketWatch
The beta version aims to test the service gradually before it launches commercially later this year, T-Mobile said.
The move aims to create businesses with more focus and less complexity, Kraft Heinz said, and would deepen a reversal of the food industry’s yearslong strategy of pursuing deals to build scale.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
