Synonyms

aspire

American

[uh-spahyuhr] / əˈspaɪər /

verb (used without object)

aspired, aspiring

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

aspire British

/ əˈspaɪə /

verb

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
to rise to a great height

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See ambitious

Other Word Forms

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

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”

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023