aspiration

aspiration — noun

1. a long-term goal or ambition that someone really wants to reach in life or work,

1.nounC2
Definition

a long-term goal or ambition that someone really wants to reach in life or work, such as becoming a doctor, opening a bakery, or owning a home.

Example

Wairimu's lifelong aspiration is to become an Olympic swimmer.

aspiration + to-infinitive

Many young people share the aspiration of buying their first home.

aspiration of + -ing form

Common collocations
  • lifelong aspirations
  • career aspirations
  • political aspirations
  • modest aspirations
  • fulfil one's aspirations
  • share an aspiration
Synonyms
  • ambition

    more everyday and slightly stronger; often suggests a drive to rise in status.

  • dream

    more emotional and personal; can be unrealistic, while 'aspiration' sounds planned.

  • goal

    concrete and shorter-term; less about deep-rooted desire.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

aspiration to + infinitive

aspirations of + -ing

Usage Note

Frequently plural ('aspirations') when describing a person's overall ambitions; singular when naming one specific goal. Often paired with adjectives of scope: 'career', 'political', 'lifelong', 'modest'.

Common Mistakes

I have a high aspiration to learn piano.
I have a strong aspiration to learn piano.
collocate with 'strong/great/lifelong', not 'high'.
She aspirations to be a writer.
She has aspirations to be a writer.
'aspiration' is a noun; pair it with 'have' or a similar verb.

2. in medicine, the act of pulling fluid, tissue, or air out of a part of the body

2.noun
Definition

in medicine, the act of pulling fluid, tissue, or air out of a part of the body by sucking it through a needle or tube.

Example

The doctor used a thin needle for the aspiration of fluid from Lily's swollen knee.

aspiration of + body fluid

Aspiration of the cyst showed no signs of cancer.

Common collocations
  • needle aspiration
  • fine-needle aspiration
  • bone marrow aspiration
  • joint aspiration
  • perform an aspiration
Synonyms
  • drainage

    broader; can use a tube without a needle and may continue over hours.

  • suction

    names the action of sucking; 'aspiration' names the medical procedure.

Grammar Patterns

aspiration of + body fluid/tissue

Usage Note

Subject of the action is usually a doctor or nurse; the procedure is named with a body part or fluid in front of 'aspiration' (e.g. 'bone marrow aspiration', 'joint aspiration').

Common Mistakes

The doctor did an aspiration to my knee.
The doctor performed an aspiration on my knee.
use 'perform an aspiration on' or 'aspiration of' the body part.

3. in medicine, the dangerous event of accidentally drawing food, liquid, or vomit

3.noun
Definition

in medicine, the dangerous event of accidentally drawing food, liquid, or vomit down into the lungs while breathing.

Example

Aspiration of vomit is a real danger for unconscious patients lying on their back.

aspiration of + substance

The elderly man developed a chest infection caused by aspiration during his meal.

Common collocations
  • risk of aspiration
  • aspiration pneumonia
  • prevent aspiration
  • silent aspiration
Synonyms
  • inhalation

    neutral and usually intentional; 'aspiration' here always means an accident.

  • choking

    the food blocks the airway; 'aspiration' means it goes further down into the lungs.

Grammar Patterns

aspiration of + substance

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about something accidentally going INTO the lungs; sense 2 is about a clinician taking something OUT of the body. Often appears with 'risk of', 'prevent', and 'cause'.

Common Mistakes

He had aspiration because he ate too fast.
He had an aspiration episode because he ate too fast.
for a single event, add a noun like 'episode' or use the verb 'aspirate'.

4. in phonetics, the small puff of breath that you can hear right after certain con

4.noun
Definition

in phonetics, the small puff of breath that you can hear right after certain consonants, for example after the 'p' in the English word 'pin'.

Example

Hold a tissue in front of your mouth and you will feel the aspiration after 'p' in 'pen'.

aspiration after [consonant]

Korean students often need extra practice on English aspiration in word-initial 'k' sounds.

Common collocations
  • voiceless aspiration
  • strong aspiration
  • lack of aspiration
  • mark the aspiration
Synonyms
  • puff of air

    everyday wording teachers use with beginners.

Antonyms
  • non-aspiration

    the absence of the breath, as in French 'p' or Spanish 'p'.

Usage Note

Used in language teaching and phonetics textbooks. Often appears with 'voiceless stops' (p, t, k) and contrasts with 'voicing'. The matching adjective is 'aspirated' (e.g. 'aspirated p').

Common Mistakes

The aspiration of the word is strong.
The aspiration on the initial 'p' is strong.
point to a specific sound, not the whole word.

Word family

  • aspire
    verbC1
  • aspiring
    adjectiveC1
  • aspirational
    adjectiveC2
  • aspirate
    verbC2
  • aspirated
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name something a person wants to reach, but they sit at different points on the scale of grandness, planning, and emotion. 'Aspiration' is the most formal and high-minded; it often appears in plural and sounds like a guiding ideal that shapes years of effort, as in 'her career aspirations'. 'Ambition' is more everyday and a little stronger in drive: it can suggest hunger for status or success, and it pairs well with 'fierce' or 'naked'. 'Dream' is the most emotional and personal, and it can be wonderfully unrealistic ('a childhood dream of going to space'). 'Goal' is the most concrete and shortest in horizon — you set a goal for next month, but you build aspirations across a lifetime. Compare: 'My goal this year is to run a marathon; my aspiration is to one day coach others.'

aspiration ↗ambition ↗dream ↗goal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • career aspirations
  • political aspirations
  • personal aspirations
  • needle aspiration
  • bone marrow aspiration

Adverbs

Phrases

  • fulfil one's aspirations
  • share the same aspirations
  • rise above one's aspirations
  • risk of aspiration

Prepositions

  • aspiration to (do something)
  • aspiration of (-ing / a person)
  • aspiration for (a future state)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English from Latin 'aspiratio', from the verb 'aspirare', built from 'ad-' ('toward') and 'spirare' ('to breathe'). The original idea was literally 'to breathe toward something', which over time split into two paths: a physical one (audible breath in speech, or breath drawn in or out of the body) and a figurative one (to reach toward, to long for). Modern English keeps both paths alive — the medical and phonetic senses sit on the breath side, while the ambition sense sits on the longing-toward side.