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.
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:
Westminster City Council, hoping to reduce noise and disorder at closing time in Soho and the West End, took aim at what bureaucrats term “high-volume vertical drinking” with new proposed licensing rules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
New applicants for licenses should aim for “a predominantly seated operation,” the proposal suggests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
One way of achieving this aim is to encourage the return of beavers.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Egyed moved to Grimes County from Houston eight years ago with the aim of “trying to live out a nice, peaceful rural life.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
“You really have to work on your aim, boy,” the old man said.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
"By extending the compliance deadline, the EPA is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall under the AIM Act."
From Barron's ● May 21, 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
Or, more accurately, I’d stare at my AIM window until she finally logged on and I messaged her first.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2025
But for most, it’s a moment of nostalgia — memories of late-night AIM chats, tying up the family phone line, or handing out those shiny CDs that seemed to arrive in every mailbox.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2025
My AIM account logged in automatically, and my short list of buddies were all offline.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks aims to have the watercraft on the lake before fall 2027, and possibly sooner, said General Manager Jimmy Kim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
It separately aims to sell its Pasco, Wash. facility that can slaughter about 2,000 cattle a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Koch, Inc. aims to ensure all workers are in roles where they can make the greatest contribution relative to other positions and employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
This aims to use light-touch regulation to encourage businesses to invest more in AI.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“And the fisherman aims the harpoon at the shark and the shark is tagged?”
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
The MoU, signed on 18 June, aimed to bring both sides to a permanent ceasefire but temporary peace fell apart not long later after both sides began trading strikes.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
OpenAI’s 20-year lease, parts of which were announced Monday, is the latest complex transaction aimed at helping an AI firm secure an enormous amount of computing capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Modi said the initiative was aimed at easing the financial burden on millions of families caught up in the country's fiercely competitive education system.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
A trust spokesperson said the recommendation, which would still see elective surgery delivered at Causeway, was aimed at ensuring it "can continue to deliver a safe, stable and sustainable service".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
George couldn’t have aimed well enough to hit the polar bear even if he’d been trying.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 took a more practical approach, aiming to ensure Americans don’t have to wait until they’re catastrophically ill to receive meaningful care.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Jazz Festival being called off, it wasn’t aiming to replace it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The company said it was aiming to improve value and customer experience to bring back the more cautious shoppers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Women's Aid, the national charity aiming to end domestic abuse, is calling for more forewarning of alerts wherever possible.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Joe slapped the guy’s hand and fist-bumped, then stretched the necklace between his fingers and pulled it back like a slingshot, aiming it at Selena.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
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.
