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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):
to aspire after literary immortality; to aspire to be a doctor.
archaic. to rise up; soar; mount; tower.
contemporary examples

he had aspired to construct an epic figure after visiting the pyramids and sphinxes of egypt in 1855.
128 years old and still a looker: happy birthday to lady liberty elizabeth mitch-ll october 27, 2014

according to the st. petersburg times, before sarah fell for josh, she made straight as and aspired to be a veterinarian.
mean girls love-triangle murder lynn waddell august 5, 2010

george zimmerman, the man who shot 17-year-old trayvon martin in florida, aspired to enter law enforcement.
george zimmerman, the man who shot trayvon martin, profiled by family and neighbors matthew deluca march 20, 2012

for nearly his entire life, he had aspired to no other occupation.
eddie robinson, college football’s winningest coach samuel g. freedman august 22, 2013

raised from nothing, harding aspired to greatness: she wanted to be the best female figure skater in the world.
espn’s ‘the price of gold’ revisits the tonya harding and nancy kerrigan scandal amy zimmerman january 14, 2014

historical examples

indeed, it was unusually hot, and somehow none of them aspired to exert themselves any more than they could help.
endurance test alan douglas

for a moment at least he looked like the king which he aspired to be.
micah clarke arthur conan doyle

a moral influence over the minds of their tribe was the only distinction to which the priests of onondaga had aspired.
traditions of the north american indians, vol. 3 (of 3) james athearn jones

if he had been fit for the high destiny he aspired to—if he had been fit to be a judge, he would not have fallen.
the manxman hall caine

if he had aspired higher he could not at twenty have competed with his mighty predecessor.
the works of alexander pope, volume 1 alexander pope

verb (intransitive)
usually foll by to or after. to yearn (for) or have a powerful or ambitious plan, desire, or hope (to do or be something): to aspire to be a great leader
to rise to a great height
v.

“to strive for,” c.1400, from old french aspirer “aspire to; inspire; breathe, breathe on” (12c.), from latin aspirare “to breathe upon, to breathe,” also, in transferred senses, “to be favorable to, -ssist; to climb up to, to endeavor to obtain, to reach to, to seek to reach; infuse,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + spirare “to breathe” (see spirit (n.)). the notion is of “panting with desire,” or perhaps of rising smoke. related: aspired; aspiring.