aspiration

American  

[as-puh-ray-shuhn] / ˌæs pəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

• aspirations
  plural

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.

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aspiration British  

/ ˌæspɪˈreɪʃən /

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superaspiration
  noun
• aspirational
  adjective
• aspiratory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aspirations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aspiration

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

Explanation

If your aspiration, or ambition, is to climb Mt. Everest someday, you better start training, because it’s a long, hard climb that requires a lot of preparation. Aspiration means "inhalation" or "breathing." So how did it come to mean "ambition" or "the will to succeed"? The Latin gives us a clue: spirare ("to breathe") and spiritus ("spirit"). It was once believed that our breath was our soul or spirit, which might explain why we talk about "breathing life into" something, or coming up with energy and ideas to invigorate it. How else to breathe life into something than with ambition and drive, in other words, "spirit"?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aspiration aspirations

"While our aspiration to serve customers in India remains, we look forward to exploring several options to advance our presence in the market over the long term," Seven & i Holdings said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Barrera: The aspiration should be to fully inform parents, but the child’s wish should carry the greatest weight, especially as the child grows older.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

But the aspiration to deliver tailored health advice to consumers is back with a vengeance, now equipped with a richer instrument panel and AI to connect the dots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

He said there was an aspiration to agree a budget soon, but it needed to be done properly.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Under this pretext, without showing his aspiration for imperial power, he moved his army to Rome, and was in Italy before his departure was known.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

For the first time in years, the Clippers aren’t entering a season with championship aspirations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

In “The Invisible List,” he guides readers in committing to their own long-deferred aspirations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Hargitay has been tight-lipped about what producers have in store for the night, though she did reveal her aspirations for doing something in the vein of an “SVU musical” during the ceremony.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Before the prime minister meets politicians he will hear from young people about the issues that impact their lives and their aspirations for the future.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

But a new generation of young Coloureds, which saw itself as more black than white, was emerging, and it embraced the entire range of black aspirations.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

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