aspire

American  

[uh-spahyuhr] / əˈspaɪər /

verb (used without object)

• aspires,
  present (3rd person singular)
• aspired,
  past participle,  past
• aspiring
  present participle

1. to long, aim, or seek ambitiously; be eagerly desirous, especially for something great or of high value (usually followed by to, after, or an infinitive).

   to aspire after literary immortality; to aspire to be a doctor.

   Synonyms:

   yearn

2. Archaic. to rise up; soar; mount; tower.

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aspire British  

/ əˈspaɪə /

verb

1. to yearn (for) or have a powerful or ambitious plan, desire, or hope (to do or be something)

   to aspire to be a great leader

2. to rise to a great height

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Synonym Usage

See ambitious

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aspirer
  noun
• aspiring
  adjective
• nonaspiring
  adjective
• unaspiring
  adjective
• aspiringly
  adverb
• unaspiringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• aspiring
  present
• aspired
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• aspire
  simple
• aspires
  simple
• have aspired
  perfect
• has aspired
  perfect
• am aspiring
  progressive
• are aspiring
  progressive
• is aspiring
  progressive
• have been aspiring
  perfect progressive
• has been aspiring
  perfect progressive

Past

• aspired
  simple
• had aspired
  perfect
• was aspiring
  progressive
• were aspiring
  progressive
• had been aspiring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will aspire
  simple
• will have aspired
  perfect
• will be aspiring
  progressive
• will have been aspiring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of aspire

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French aspirer, from Latin aspīrāre “to breathe upon, pant after,” from a- a- ⁵ + spīrāre “to breathe, blow”

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Explanation

Does your life goal include world domination? Have an ambitious plan that involves gold medals and international fame? Then you definitely know what it means to aspire toward something big. The verb aspire commonly means to aim or shoot for. But it comes from the Latin word aspirare, which means “to breathe upon.” So here's a trick for remembering this word: Think of yourself reaching up towards a spire, that really tall, tapered structure at the top of a church. Or, if you’re in a poetic mood, imagine your wish as a feather that moves forward when you blow on it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aspire aspires aspired aspiring

At that time they had not won a major trophy for 35 years but they were a team that, in transfer fees and wages, cost well above anything Stoke City could ever aspire to.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

If you aspire to live in a futuristic utopia, perhaps this five-bedroom, six-bath bit of cosmic architecture is what you need.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Becoming a content creator has officially elbowed out old standbys like doctor and astronaut as the job that Gen Z and Gen Alpha most aspire to have.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

It’s something I aspire to by the hour.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Hina is ten years younger than Mom, has short hair, a zillion funky pairs of eyeglasses, is this amazing graphic designer and cool in ways I can only aspire to.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

Archer aspires to build a fleet of air taxis that could potentially jet New York City travelers to airports in 15 minutes or less, avoiding traffic jams.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

“Everybody looks at her and aspires to do what she’s doing,” Fields said in an interview.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

"For anyone who aspires to do more and wants to go further, I'm proof you can do it," he said, also giving shout-outs to the local schools he had been to.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

The serious journalism Margaret aspires to do is splintering under our distrust of who controls the megaphones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

It seems fair to say that Brunelleschi’s image aspires to exemplify what philosophers call a correspondence theory of truth, in which a statement or representation is true if it corresponds to external reality.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

"I've always looked up to bodybuilders as like superheroes and something I aspired to be," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

When I graduated from college, I aspired to be a war correspondent and report on the humanitarian crises shaping our time.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

The surly, brilliant, hip, fashionable Davis aspired to many things, but sainthood, even in jest, was not one of them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

She always aspired to have lots of kids, her own mother testified, and even her career, as a labor and delivery nurse, was centered around bringing children into the world.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Marat aspired to liberty; the outcome was Napoleon.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

After Thursday saw King Kenny recruited by the traitors - that episode ending with his deliciously evil laugh - the YouTuber and former aspiring boxer brought fresh and fiendish energy to the turret.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

The first story is about Maur, a British single mother and aspiring artist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The aspiring designer has safety and environmental concerns about AI, so she’s holding off for now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

We made notes about what should get added to the radio catalog as fodder for our aspiring DJs — and what should get chucked out or given away for free at radio events.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

An aspiring writer could be forgiven for thinking that learning to write is like negotiating an obstacle course in boot camp, with a sergeant barking at you for every errant footfall.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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Related Words

• crave
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