aim
verb (used with object)
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.
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aim
1 American
[eym]
/ eɪm /
verb (used with object)
-
aims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
aimed,
past participle, past
-
aiming
present participle
-
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
-
to intend or direct for a particular effect or purpose.
to aim a satire at snobbery.
verb (used without object)
-
aims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
aimed,
past participle, past
-
aiming
present participle
-
to point or direct a gun, punch, etc., toward.
He aimed at the target but missed it.
-
to strive; try (usually followed by to orat ).
We aim to please.
They aim at saving something every month.
-
to intend.
She aims to go tomorrow.
-
to direct efforts, as toward an object.
The satire aimed at modern greed.
-
Obsolete. to estimate; guess.
noun
-
aims
plural
-
the act of aiming or directing anything at or toward a particular point or target.
-
the direction in which a weapon or missile is pointed; the line of sighting.
within the cannon's aim.
-
the point intended to be hit; thing or person aimed at.
to miss one's aim.
-
something intended or desired to be attained by one's efforts; purpose.
whatever his aim in life may be.
-
Obsolete. conjecture; guess.
idioms
AIM
2
American
[eym]
/ eɪm /
noun
aim
1
British
/ eɪm /
verb
-
to point (a weapon, missile, etc) or direct (a blow) at a particular person or object; level
-
(tr) to direct (satire, criticism, etc) at a person, object, etc
-
(intr; foll by at or an infinitive) to propose or intend
we aim to leave early
-
(intr; often foll by at or for) to direct one's efforts or strive (towards)
to aim at better communications
to aim high
noun
-
the action of directing something at an object
-
the direction in which something is pointed; line of sighting (esp in the phrase to take aim )
-
the object at which something is aimed; target
-
intention; purpose
AIM
2
British
abbreviation
aim
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
-
aimernoun
-
underaimnoun
-
misaimverb
-
underaimverb
-
aimfuladjective
-
unaimedadjective
-
unaimingadjective
-
well-aimedadjective
-
aimfullyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
aimsimple
-
aimssimple
-
have aimedperfect
-
has aimedperfect
-
am aimingprogressive
-
are aimingprogressive
-
is aimingprogressive
-
have been aimingperfect progressive
-
has been aimingperfect progressive
Past
-
aimedsimple
-
had aimedperfect
-
was aimingprogressive
-
were aimingprogressive
-
had been aimingperfect progressive
Future
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 ( see estimate ( def. )); replacing Middle English amen, from Old French (dialectal) amer, from Latin aestimāre
Explanation
If you wad up a piece of paper and line up a shot at a wastebasket, you are taking aim. If instead, the paper bounces off your teacher's head, then your aim was way off. A purpose or goal is an aim. When you were little, your aim might have been to be a famous astronaut, a movie star, or a police officer. As a verb, aim means to intend, try, or aspire. You may aim to take your dog for three walks every day, but your fenced-in yard tends to make both of you lazy.
Vocabulary lists containing aim
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.
See Examples For:
The new measures aim to support workers and businesses during "challenging times," Canada's government said late Monday, with officials to hold a press briefing to detail Ottawa's response Tuesday morning.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
A bull call spread involves purchasing a lower-strike VIX call and selling a higher-strike one with the aim of profiting if the index rises.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
The aim is to build a nationwide system of psychological support and crisis intervention by 2030.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
"The aim is to try and change perceptions of what living with stage 4 cancer can mean," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
International headlines took aim at the United States, with one London newspaper taunting that "the Americans have made fools of themselves."
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Its pubs and bars will stay open through the process, but it has been suspended from trading on London's junior AIM stock exchange.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
The desk covers all stocks from the largest FTSE100s to the smallest AIM companies across the whole range of industries and subject matters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
“Volume growth was driven by stronger demand for Opteon…in connection with the stationary air conditioning…transition under the U.S. AIM Act,” said the company.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025
By the time SmarterChild logged off for good in 2007 following Microsoft’s acquisition of the company, it had accumulated more than 30 million “buddies” on AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2025
He’d been different ever since that first, and only, AIM conversation we’d had, over two weeks ago.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
The facility aims to meet the companies' growing demand for computing power to support its projects including developing AI and robotics technology over the coming years.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
It aims to file a notice of its plans with the Toronto Stock Exchange and begin the one-year buyback program on or around Sept. 8.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Rogoff added, “but if Carney aims his tariffs strategically — and I expect he will — it still could hurt a lot.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Kodiak aims to launch long-haul highway operations by the end of the year, expanding its reach.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
He aims it at me and takes a picture.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
Music made by artificial intelligence will be banned from Australia's top charts under new guidelines aimed at protecting "the human nature of artistry", an industry body said Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Researchers at Stanford Medicine and collaborating institutions have now developed a strategy aimed at overcoming those obstacles.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Oil prices declined on Tuesday as investors look to talks between Iran and Pakistan aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
As well as raising money, he said the event aimed to "bring together people who are in a similar situation to me, to bring together families, people who are remembering loved ones".
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
She turned the wheel a little to the left and aimed for the space between the sofa and the table.
From "Wolfie & Fly" by Cary Fagan
The company is aiming to bring 14 gigawatts of capacity online by 2027 and planning to manufacture its own Iris chips.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Anthropic could aim to raise as much as $100 billion in its offering and is aiming for a valuation of about $2 trillion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The fact Angel City won just one of Straus’ final eight games apparently wasn’t the standard Parsons was aiming for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is aiming to isolate Tehran further from the global financial system.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Now I carefully pulled it back as far as I could, aiming directly at those big doggy nostrils.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
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.
