aspire

verb

as·​pire ə-ˈspī(-ə)r How to pronounce aspire (audio)
aspired; aspiring
Synonyms of aspire

intransitive verb

1
: to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal
She aspired to a career in medicine.
2
: ascend, soar
aspirer noun

Synonyms of aspire

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of aspire in a Sentence

aspire to great deeds, and you have a better chance of doing good deeds a tower aspiring towards the heavens
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After working for more than a decade in club music’s trenches, the brothers now aspired to be not merely DJs, but a dance-music act known for spectacular live performances. — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2026 Successful and aspiring Black professionals in many businesses will feel rightfully anxious, be expending critical cognitive efforts in reviewing their every turn. — Nancy Doyle, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Dade’s maternal grandmother, Beverly Anderson, told WKBW-TV that her granddaughter worked as a health aide for elderly people and aspired to become a nurse. — Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026 His first project, built with a Kalshi employee, aspires to match S&P 500 companies’ risk factors with existing Kalshi markets. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aspire

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French aspirer, from Latin aspirare, literally, to breathe upon, from ad- + spirare to breathe

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of aspire was in the 14th century

Rhymes for aspire

See All Rhymes for aspire

Browse Nearby Words

aspirator
aspire
aspirer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aspire. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

aspire

verb
as·​pire ə-ˈspī(ə)r How to pronounce aspire (audio)
aspired; aspiring
: to work to get something high or great
aspirer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on aspire

Nglish: Translation of aspire for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All