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

If you aspire to live in a futuristic utopia, perhaps this five-bedroom, six-bath bit of cosmic architecture is what you need.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Becoming a content creator has officially elbowed out old standbys like doctor and astronaut as the job that Gen Z and Gen Alpha most aspire to have.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

"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

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

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

With nothing to really aspire to, life had become about maintenance.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

The company aspires to launch data centers in space, powered by solar energy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"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

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

Where not to work if you’re a hacker who aspires to stay off government radar: the Apple Genius Bar.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin

Pakistan, a new contender, has long aspired to be an arbiter of Islamic power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

She always aspired to have lots of kids, her own mother testified, and even her career, as a labor and delivery nurse, was centered around bringing children into the world.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Some who had once aspired to be homeowners now see it as out of reach.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

A designer, Corvette once aspired to create her own clothing line but couldn’t get her spike-heeled foot in the door.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

The man who’d proudly owned eighteen suits as a teenager, and who’d aspired to own a hundred more, now dressed the same way every day.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

We made notes about what should get added to the radio catalog as fodder for our aspiring DJs — and what should get chucked out or given away for free at radio events.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Last week, a group called ShinyHunters said it had broken into an online FBI jobs portal and stolen names, addresses, and other sensitive data about thousands of current, former, and aspiring agents.

From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026

However, Jacky Gurr, course leader and senior lecturer for content creation at Nottingham Trent University, points out that the majority of people on the course are not actually aspiring to become influencers.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

That summer, Léa De Carmo, an aspiring actress, was driving back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas with a friend and, after a night of partying, craved a cup of coffee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

But as an aspiring architect, she couldn’t help admiring the terraced gardens, the fountains and temples, the winding cobblestone streets and gleaming white villas.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• crave
• pursue
• strive
• yearn