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

I saw not as a cautionary tale, but something to aspire to,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

"It shows our girls the levels in the other countries...it gives them something to aspire to."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Many still aspire to be homeowners, but “owning a home, on its own, says little about a family’s broader financial picture,” they wrote, and having ample investable assets is necessary for security.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

He wanted to train me to an elevation I could never reach; it racked me hourly to aspire to the standard he uplifted.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

"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

The tournament was a phenomenal branding opportunity for the startup, which aspires to move beyond sports to offer bets on news events, finance and technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

The serious journalism Margaret aspires to do is splintering under our distrust of who controls the megaphones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 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

“The magnitude of the job dwarfs every man who aspires to it.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

He also aspired to coach college, and Florida, with its top-flight teams, seemed a better steppingstone than the Ozarks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 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

He once again aspired to be like Germany, where the people, he said admiringly, were “docile and acquiescent.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026

Marat aspired to liberty; the outcome was Napoleon.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The invitation to the chief justice is in keeping with tradition and for aspiring lawyers, the presence of the country's top judge at their convocation is usually seen as a matter of pride.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

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

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

None of Graham’s aspiring successors will fill that role, but some may come closer to it than others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Some in the real-estate industry encouraged aspiring buyers to “date the rate, marry the house,” assuring them that they could refinance when rates dropped.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

“Being good with babies was a fine quality in the husband of an aspiring clam picker, apparently!”

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• crave
• pursue
• strive
• yearn