aspirare

to aspire

verb ah-spee-RAH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin aspirare (to breathe upon, to strive towards), from ad- + spirare (to breathe).

Also means

to inhale

Usage Note

Aspirare covers two distinct senses: the figurative 'to aspire to' (aspirare a un ruolo importante — to aspire to an important role) and the physical 'to inhale' or 'to suck up' (aspirare la polvere — to vacuum up the dust). The noun l'aspirapolvere (vacuum cleaner) literally means 'dust aspirator.' It takes avere as its auxiliary.

Examples

"Aspira a diventare il migliore nel suo campo."

Natural Translation

He aspires to become the best in his field.

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