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Definition of aspire in English:

aspire

See synonyms for aspire

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intransitive verb

[no object]

  • 1Direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving something.

    ‘we never thought that we might aspire to those heights’
    • ‘other people will aspire to be like you’
    desire, desire to, aim for, aim to, hope for, hope to, long for, long to, yearn for, yearn to, hanker after, hanker for, hanker to, set one's heart on, wish for, wish to, want, want to, expect, expect to, have the objective of, dream of, hunger for, hunger to, seek, seek to, pursue, have as one's aim, have as one's goal, set one's sights on
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  • 2 literary Rise high; tower.

    • ‘above the domes of loftiest mosques these pinnacles aspire’

Pronunciation

aspire

/əˈspī(ə)r/ /əˈspaɪ(ə)r/

Origin

Late Middle English from French aspirer or Latin aspirare, from ad- ‘to’ + spirare ‘breathe’.