# aspire

/əˈspaɪɹ/ (US) · /ɐspˈaɪə/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/aspire
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to have ambition

verb · CEFR B2

to have a strong desire or hope to achieve something important.

For teachers: to direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving a specific, often elevated, goal.

- Many young athletes aspire to play in the professional leagues one day.
- While many students simply want to pass, she aspires to lead the research department after completing her doctorate.

Usage: Intransitive; typically followed by the preposition 'to'.

### 2. to rise high

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

to reach upward or be very tall.

For teachers: to rise or reach to a great height; to tower.

- The ancient towers aspire toward the clouds above the city.
- The cathedral's gothic spires aspire to the heavens, dominating the skyline of the medieval town.

Usage: Used in a physical sense to describe tall structures or mountains.

## Examples

- Many young athletes aspire to win an Olympic medal.
- She did not just want a job in the city; she aspired to lead the entire marketing department one day.
- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.