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.
to intend or direct for a particular effect or purpose.
to aim a satire at snobbery.
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.
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.
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
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, 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.
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
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A handful of schools have outsize positions that make up a tenth or more of their endowments, unusual scenarios for institutions that typically aim to have well-diversified investment portfolios.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The aim is to refine how we interpret the past while finding new ways on how to prevent dental disease today.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
A government press release said the strategy would aim to address an "over-representation of people from more well-off backgrounds" in the civil service.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
He is one of the key leaders of coach Javier Aguirre’s team that will aim to reach at least the quarterfinals — a feat that has eluded El Tri in the last eight World Cups.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
The aim of this book is not to venture into the long-running, vigorous debate in the scholarly literature regarding what does and does not constitute a caste system.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
