To aspire means to have a strong desire to achieve something important or admirable. When you aspire to become a doctor, you set that goal as something you genuinely want to work toward and pursue with intention. When someone aspires to excellence in music, they practice regularly because they want to become truly skilled.

The word carries a sense of reaching upward toward something meaningful. You might aspire to write a novel, aspire to run faster, or aspire to be a good friend. The goals people aspire to are usually significant ones that require effort and dedication, not just things they'd like to happen magically.

Aspiration is the noun form: “Her aspiration was to explore Antarctica.” Notice that aspiring doesn't guarantee success, but it means you're genuinely aiming for something worthwhile. Someone with aspirations has identified goals that matter to them and is willing to put in the work to pursue them. The word suggests both ambition and hope: when you aspire to something, you believe it's possible, and you're ready to try.