aspire
[uh-spahyuhr]
- 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.
- Archaic. to rise up; soar; mount; tower.
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Origin of aspire
1425–75; late Middle English (< Middle French aspirer) < Latin aspīrāre to breathe upon, pant after, equivalent to a- a-5 + spīrāre to breathe, blow
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com1. yearn.
Synonym study
1. See ambitious
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
eager, would-be, longing, striving, endeavoring, ambitious, aspirant, enthusiastic, impassioned, wishful, zealousExamples from the Web for aspiring
Contemporary Examples
That Huckabee is mentioned in the same sentence with other aspiring conservative governors, especially Bobby Jindal, is laughable.
Great for the aspiring Quentin Tarantino, or for the aspiring next Feiffer.
This is not lost on their commander, Rama (Shani Klein), an aspiring military careerist who looks down on frivolity in wartime.
He was a black, 135-pound art student at Pratt Institute, as well as an aspiring model.
Before Eric Garner, There Was Michael Stewart: The Tragic Story of the Real-Life Radio RaheemMarlow Stern
December 4, 2014
The year was 1986, and Chelan was a 17-year-old high school student and “aspiring model.”
Two New Bill Cosby Accusers Come Forward: ‘We Challenge Mr. Cosby to End This Nightmare’Marlow Stern
December 3, 2014
Historical Examples
They took an aspiring angel and made a domestic animal of him.
The Foolish LoversSt. John G. Ervine
Henry was modest, yet aspiring; gentle, yet intense in his affections.
But they are of aspiring nature, and this fact was known to the Fiend.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)William Delisle Hay
Yet under all these clouds, their spirit was hopeful and aspiring.
The Legacy of GreeceVarious
"I hope so," said Harry, in an aspiring tone, which greatly satisfied his tutor.
David ElginbrodGeorge MacDonald
aspire
- (usually foll by to or after) 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
- to rise to a great height
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin aspīrāre to breathe upon, from spīrāre to breathe
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 aspiring
aspire
v.
"to strive for," c.1400, from Old French aspirer "aspire to; inspire; breathe, breathe on" (12c.), from Latin aspirare "to breathe upon, to breathe," also, in transferred senses, "to be favorable to, assist; to climb up to, to endeavor to obtain, to reach to, to seek to reach; infuse," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.)). The notion is of "panting with desire," or perhaps of rising smoke. Related: Aspired; aspiring.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper