aim

[ eym ]

/ eɪm /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aim ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

to intend or direct for a particular effect or purpose: to aim a satire at snobbery.

verb (used without object)

to point or direct a gun, punch, etc., toward: He aimed at the target but missed it.

to strive; try (usually followed by to or at): 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

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.

Nearby words

ailment, ailurophile, ailurophilia, ailurophobe, ailurophobia, aim, aim to, aimak, aimee, aiming point, aimless

Idioms

take aim, to sight a target: to take aim and fire.

Origin of aim

1275–1325; late Middle English aimen < Anglo-French a(e)smer, eimer, Old French aesmer < Vulgar Latin *adaestimāre, equivalent to Latin ad- ad- + aestimāre (see estimate); replacing Middle English amen < Old French (dial.) amer < Latin aestimāre

SYNONYMS FOR aim

1 point.

8 sighting.

10 target, objective.

11 goal; intent, design.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aim ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

aim·er, nounaim·ful, adjectiveaim·ful·ly, adverbmis·aim, verb, noun

un·aimed, adjectiveun·aim·ing, adjectiveun·der·aim, nounun·der·aim, verbwell-aimed, adjective

Synonym study

11. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aimed

I was lost, fresh back from Vietnam, searching, maybe, for a peril the equivalent of war but aimed in the direction of life.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All is aimed at inculcating young minds with the ISIS ideology.
Darkness at Noon Prayers: Inside the Islamic Police State|Jamie Dettmer|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He helped set up an institute in Mexico aimed at improving wheat and corn production.
Growth Stocks|The Daily Beast|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What do you think of books that are written today aimed at younger demographics, like The Hunger Games.
R.L. Stine’s Secret to Scaring the Crap Out of Kids|Kevin Fallon|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He oversaw a brutal regime, aimed at instilling respect, deference and acceptance of duty into the princes.
Kate and William’s Royal Family Values|Tom Sykes|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Barbara seized the sofa cushion and aimed it at him threateningly.
The Youngest Girl in the School|Evelyn Sharp
He then aimed, as well as he could, between the two glancing eyes, and pulled trigger.
The Desert Home|Mayne Reid
He drew his revolver and cocked it noiselessly and aimed it experimentally at his intended victim.
Dixie Hart|Will N. Harben
One cannot but wonder how many shots would be required to hit a man if the guns were not aimed at anything!
How to Teach Religion|George Herbert Betts
The instruction of infants is not a very difficult task, if all that is aimed at is to teach them certain elementary subjects.
The Curse of Education|Harold E. Gorst

British Dictionary definitions for aimed (1 of 2)

aim

/ (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 intendwe 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

Word Origin for aim

C14: via Old French aesmer from Latin aestimāre to estimate

British Dictionary definitions for aimed (2 of 2)

AIM

abbreviation for

(in Britain) Alternative Investment Market

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

Word Origin and History for aimed (1 of 2)

aim

early 14c., "target;" late 14c., "guess;" from aim (v.). Meaning "action of aiming" is from early 15c. (to take aim, originally make aim); that of "thing intended, purpose" is from 1620s.

Word Origin and History for aimed (1 of 2)

aim

early 14c., "to estimate, calculate," also "to intend," from Old French aesmer "value, rate; count, estimate," from Latin aestimare "appraise" (see estimation); current meaning apparently developed from "esteem," to "calculate," to "calculate with a view to action" (c.1400), then to "direct a missile, a blow, etc." (1570s). Related: Aimed; aiming.

Idioms and Phrases with aimed

aim

In addition to the idiom beginning with aim

aim to

also see:

take aim

aim

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of aim

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for aimed

British Dictionary definitions for aimed (1 of 2)

aim

verb

noun

Word Origin for aim

British Dictionary definitions for aimed (2 of 2)

AIM

abbreviation for

Word Origin and History for aimed (1 of 2)

aim

Word Origin and History for aimed (1 of 2)

aim

Idioms and Phrases with aimed

aim