ENGLISH
REFERENCE

aspire

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //əˈspaɪɹ// UK //ɐspˈaɪə// as·pire Archaic Literary

v. to have a strong hope or goal to achieve something great. You use this when you want to reach a higher position or become a better person.

v. to direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving a specific goal, typically one of high value or status. Intransitive — requires a prepositional phrase to indicate the target of the ambition.


SIMPLE

Many young athletes aspire to win an Olympic medal.

CONTEXTUAL

She did not just want a job in the city; she aspired to lead the entire marketing department one day.

COMPLEX

While many writers aspire to literary fame, few are willing to endure the years of quiet rejection and rigorous revision required to produce a truly enduring masterpiece.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English aspiren, from Old French aspirer, from Latin aspīrō (“breathe on; approach; desire”).

Usage

The verb is intransitive and almost always takes the preposition 'to' followed by an infinitive or a noun phrase.

Pitfall

he aspires winning the prizehe aspires to win the prizeAspire is intransitive and cannot take a direct object; it must be followed by 'to' and an infinitive.

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