aspire

American  

[uh-spahyuhr] / əˈspaɪər /

verb (used without object)

• aspires,
  present (3rd person singular)
• aspired,
  past participle,  past
• aspiring
  present participle

1. 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

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

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aspire British  

/ əˈspaɪə /

verb

1. 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

2. to rise to a great height

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Synonym Usage

See ambitious

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• aspiring
  present
• aspired
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• aspire
  simple
• aspires
  simple
• have aspired
  perfect
• has aspired
  perfect
• am aspiring
  progressive
• are aspiring
  progressive
• is aspiring
  progressive
• have been aspiring
  perfect progressive
• has been aspiring
  perfect progressive

Past

• aspired
  simple
• had aspired
  perfect
• was aspiring
  progressive
• were aspiring
  progressive
• had been aspiring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will aspire
  simple
• will have aspired
  perfect
• will be aspiring
  progressive
• will have been aspiring
  perfect progressive

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”

Explanation

Does your life goal include world domination? Have an ambitious plan that involves gold medals and international fame? Then you definitely know what it means to aspire toward something big. The verb aspire commonly means to aim or shoot for. But it comes from the Latin word aspirare, which means “to breathe upon.” So here's a trick for remembering this word: Think of yourself reaching up towards a spire, that really tall, tapered structure at the top of a church. Or, if you’re in a poetic mood, imagine your wish as a feather that moves forward when you blow on it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aspire aspires aspired aspiring

"Rather we aspire for it to grow, and perhaps appropriate conditions will emerge one day for all countries of the region to gather under its umbrella."

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

“And when it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views. I believe that news should be based on facts and truth.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Both achieved something many college students aspire to: Erle graduated debt-free, and Lee left school with a job that kickstarted his profession.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

"I'm a regular kid from west Belfast, from an Irish-Ghanian background. I'm nothing special, but just want to leave a legacy the next generation can aspire to."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

I was sure that mine about Everest was not mine alone; the highest point on earth, unattainable, foreign to all experience, was there for many boys and grown men to aspire toward.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

"He's ready to close this chapter and focus on his recovery and engage in therapy as he aspires to have a normal life."

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

"For anyone who aspires to do more and wants to go further, I'm proof you can do it," he said, also giving shout-outs to the local schools he had been to.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

This is the stadium that every new building aspires to be, gigantic central screen and all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

Corvette, a promising and hard-working designer herself who aspires to Christie’s brilliance, is tormented by nightmares of rich people complaining about the generation who “can’t expect everything to be handed to them.”

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

It aspires to be both a work of art and something instantly accessible to anyone’s ear, for the sheer pleasure of it.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

To the outside world, DarkMatter aspired to become a Middle East tech giant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Many series followed in the wake of “Battlestar Galactica” that aspired to capitalize on its legacy; in my mind, “The Expanse” came closest to meeting its level of fearless political and social pertinence.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

Mr. Scheiber relates the story of Chaya Barrett, who graduated from Towson University in Maryland and aspired to a career in tech and marketing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

Ashford Inc. never became the big manager of outside assets that it aspired to be.

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

The Negro therefore prized education as the only doorway into the world of knowledge and dignity to which he aspired.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

Amid today’s U.S. housing crisis, the Midwest has repeatedly emerged as an attractive, cheap option for aspiring home buyers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Speakers blamed the media for causing Arday’s death and defended his legacy as a trailblazer for other aspiring Black academics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

An aspiring screenwriter himself, Hunnam has penned a project for Max Winkler, who’s also the main director on “Monster.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

In the film, Early plays Maddie Ralph, an aspiring test-kitchen chef at a hip food publication.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

You’re off to a great start as an aspiring director.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• crave
• pursue
• strive
• yearn