aspiration

[as-puh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. a strong desire, longing, or aim; ambition.

   intellectual aspirations.

   Synonyms: craving, yearning

2. a goal or objective that is strongly desired.

   The presidency has been his aspiration since boyhood.

3. the act of aspirating or breathing in.

4. Phonetics.

   1. articulation accompanied by an audible puff of breath, as in the h -sound of how, or of when (hwen), or in the release of initial stops, as in the k -sound of key.

   2. the use of such a speech sound, or aspirate, in pronunciation.

5. Medicine/Medical.

   1. the act of removing a fluid, as pus or serum, from a cavity of the body, by a hollow needle or trocar connected with a suction syringe.

   2. the act of inhaling fluid or a foreign body into the bronchi and lungs, often after vomiting.

aspiration

/ -trɪ, ˈæspɪrətərɪ, -trɪ, ˌæspɪˈreɪʃən, əˈspaɪrətərɪ /

noun

1. strong desire to achieve something, such as success

2. the aim of such desire

3. 1. the act of breathing

   2. a breath

4. phonetics

   1. the pronunciation of a stop with an audible and forceful release of breath

   2. the friction of the released breath

   3. an aspirated consonant

5. removal of air or fluid from a body cavity by suction

6. med

   1. the sucking of fluid or foreign matter into the air passages of the body

   2. the removal of air or fluid from the body by suction

Other Word Forms

• aspirational adjective
• superaspiration noun
• aspiratory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aspiration¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin aspīrātiōn-, stem of aspīrātiō “a breathing upon”; aspirate, -ion

Example Sentences

It also transcended local issues in an aspiration to become "the new face of a global and generational revolt," said the professor, who specialises in issues related to youth.

Read more on Barron's

Lincoln taught us that in our aspirations for “enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union” we must cultivate gratitude for our blessings and the introspection needed for improvement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The shift may not hurt sectors tied to affordable stay-at-home consumption, but it complicates the outlook for categories that rely on aspiration.

Read more on MarketWatch

"Nobody wants to be in a situation where one party blocks the aspiration of another community on either side, but it's an important mechanism to encourage people to work together," he said.

Read more on BBC

For all that Ella McCay goes through, in the end there is still a sense of hope and uplift, an aspiration for something better, emanating from the movie.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aim 
• ambition 
• desire 
• dream 
• eagerness 
• endeavor 
• inclination 
• longing 
• objective 
• passion 
• wish 
• yearning