aspire
verb (used without object)
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).
had aspired
-
past perfectof aspire.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Carlos Valdivia, 51, said he had aspired to become a millionaire since he earned his M.B.A. degree from Stanford University decades ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
He said his daughter had aspired to be a teacher or a veterinarian.
From Washington Times ● May 2, 2023
Reuters reported on Thursday evening that an anonymous former friend of Santos said that he had participated in multiple drag queen beauty pageants and that Santos had aspired to be Miss Gay Rio de Janeiro.
From Salon ● Jan. 20, 2023
Her niece, whom she described as "our Zara", had aspired to be a lawyer from a young age, was hard working, loved animals and contributed to community life by volunteering, she said.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2022
What Gilbert had aspired to do, Galileo had actually done: he had announced discoveries which were entirely at odds with the established philosophy.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
