aspiration

[ as-puh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. a strong desire, longing, or aim; ambition:

   intellectual aspirations.

   Synonyms: craving, yearning

2. a goal or objective that is strongly desired:

   The presidency has been his aspiration since boyhood.

3. the act of aspirating or breathing in.
4. Phonetics.
   1. articulation accompanied by an audible puff of breath, as in the h -sound of how, or of when (hwen), or in the release of initial stops, as in the k -sound of key.
   2. the use of such a speech sound, or aspirate, in pronunciation.
5. Medicine/Medical.
   1. the act of removing a fluid, as pus or serum, from a cavity of the body, by a hollow needle or trocar connected with a suction syringe.
   2. the act of inhaling fluid or a foreign body into the bronchi and lungs, often after vomiting.

aspiration

/ -trɪ; ˈæspɪrətərɪ; -trɪ; ˌæspɪˈreɪʃən; əˈspaɪrətərɪ /

noun

1. strong desire to achieve something, such as success
2. the aim of such desire
3. 1. the act of breathing
   2. a breath
4. phonetics
   1. the pronunciation of a stop with an audible and forceful release of breath
   2. the friction of the released breath
   3. an aspirated consonant
5. removal of air or fluid from a body cavity by suction
6. med
   1. the sucking of fluid or foreign matter into the air passages of the body
   2. the removal of air or fluid from the body by suction

Derived Forms

• ˌaspiˈrational, adjective
• aspiratory, adjective

Other Words From

• aspi·ration·al adjective
• super·aspi·ration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of aspiration¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin aspīrātiōn-, stem of aspīrātiō “a breathing upon”; aspirate, -ion

Example Sentences

"Aspects of this legislation risks suffocating the very thing that makes English football so unique, the aspiration that allows clubs to rise and succeed in our pyramid system. The ambition that means fans can dream," she said.

From BBC

But Conservative peer Brady said planned "extreme redistribution" would "replace our brilliant but brutal meritocracy with the likelihood of a closed shop where survival not aspiration becomes a ceiling".

From BBC

"It brings our aspiration of a new home in the region closer and hopefully demonstrates our determination to recover Wasps sustainably."

From BBC

It will be the opposite of the department’s proud aspiration to do “justice without fear or favor.”

From Los Angeles Times

However, when asked directly whether she would reverse the VAT hike on private schools, Badenoch was definite, saying "yes, yes, I would... because it’s a tax on aspiration, but it won’t raise any money" and was therefore "against our principles".

From BBC

Related Words

• aim
• ambition
• desire
• dream
• eagerness
• endeavor
• inclination
• longing
• objective
• passion
• wish
• yearning