aspire

American  

[uh-spahyuhr] / əˈspaɪər /

verb (used without object)

aspired, aspiring

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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Related Words

See ambitious

Other Word Forms

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

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”

Example Sentences

Cairo has aspired to become the key gas hub for the region, but its own gas production has decreased in recent years while domestic needs have increased, magnifying its reliance on imported gas from Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr Douglas said what he "loved" about being a manager at the theatre was that it allowed him to "bring in people that are aspiring actors".

From BBC

"And where do our young aspiring players want to play? That's a worry for the future."

From BBC

Aside from teaching at WundaBar and offering private training, Hayward aspires to have her own space and develop her own workout method.

From Los Angeles Times

For most of his life, Michelangelo’s 16th-century biographer Ascanio Condivi tells us, the artist aspired to carve a colossus out of a coastal mountain, a figure visible from ships at sea.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crave
• pursue
• strive
• yearn