I. aim 1 S2 W2 /eɪm/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ aim , ↑ aimlessness ; verb : ↑ aim ; adverb : ↑ aimlessly ; adjective : ↑ aimless ]
1 . [countable] something you hope to achieve by doing something
aim of
The aim of the research is to find new food sources.
The main aim of the course is to improve your writing.
with the aim of doing something
a campaign with the aim of helping victims of crime
Teamwork is required in order to achieve these aims.
a policy which sets out the school’s aims and objectives
2 . take aim to point a gun or weapon at someone or something you want to shoot
take aim at
Alan took aim at the target.
3 . take aim at somebody/something American English to criticize someone or something:
Critics took aim at the President.
4 . [uncountable] someone’s ability to hit what they are aiming at when they throw or shoot something:
Val’s aim was very good.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ the main/primary/principal aim
The country’s main aim was to slow inflation.
▪ the ultimate/eventual/long-term aim (=that you hope to achieve in the end)
The ultimate aim is to replace gasoline with non-polluting energy sources.
▪ the immediate/initial/short-term aim (=that you hope to achieve quickly)
The immediate aim is to develop the travel business.
▪ the overall/general/broad aim (=that concerns the main aim rather than all the details)
The overall aim of the project is to encourage young people to stay in higher education.
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Guided by the general aim of the project, we aimed to reach a number of key objectives.
▪ a specific aim (=an exact aim)
What are the specific aims of the course?
▪ the underlying aim (=a basic aim, that people sometimes do not notice)
The games all have an underlying aim: survival.
▪ a political aim
We utterly condemn any acts of violence in pursuit of political aims.
▪ a strategic aim (=that is part of a military, political, or business plan)
The broader strategic aims were to safeguard the Dutch East Indies against attack.
▪ an educational aim
the educational aims of the school
▪ sb’s declared/stated aim (=an aim that somebody has stated clearly)
The Department’s declared aim is targeting benefits where they are most needed.
▪ a common aim (=an aim that people, countries etc share)
We know the value of working closely together to pursue our common aims.
■ verbs
▪ have an aim
His trip to Milan, his third in two weeks, had a precise aim.
▪ achieve/fulfil your aim
The Internet bank achieved its aim of attracting 50,000 customers last year.
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Once she had decided to go into publishing, she set out to fulfil her aim.
▪ pursue your aims (=try to achieve them over a long period of time)
We worked closely together to pursue our common aims.
▪ further your aims (=help them to progress or be successful)
The group is prepared to use violence to further its political aims.
▪ set out the aims of something
Is there a set of guidelines setting out the aims of study?
■ phrases
▪ a set of aims
The organization has a set of aims which are listed on its website.
▪ aims and objectives (=the things you hope to achieve)
These aims and objectives are set out in chapters two and three.
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THESAURUS
▪ aim something you hope to achieve by doing something:
The main aim of the plan was to provide employment for local people.
▪ goal something important that you hope to achieve in the future, even though it may take a long time:
The country can still achieve its goal of reducing poverty by a third.
▪ target a particular amount or total that you want to achieve:
The company is on track to meet its target of increasing profits by 10%.
▪ objective the specific thing that you are trying to achieve – used especially about things that have been officially discussed and agreed upon in business, politics etc:
Their main objective is to halt the flow of drugs.
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We met to set the business objectives for the coming year.
▪ ambition something that you very much want to achieve in your future career:
Her ambition was to go to law school and become an attorney.
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Earlier this year, he achieved his ambition of competing in the Olympic Games.
II. aim 2 S2 W2 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ aim , ↑ aimlessness ; verb : ↑ aim ; adverb : ↑ aimlessly ; adjective : ↑ aimless ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: aesmer , from Latin aestimare ; ⇨ ↑ estimate 2 ]
1 . [intransitive] to try or intend to achieve something
aim to do something
We aim to finish by Friday.
(be) aimed at doing something
an initiative aimed at reducing road accidents
aim for
We’re aiming for a big improvement.
2 . aim something at somebody to say or do something that is intended for a particular person or group of people:
a program that’s aimed at teenagers
The criticism wasn’t aimed at you.
3 .
[intransitive and transitive] to choose the place, person etc that you want to hit or reach and point a weapon or another object towards them:
Denver aimed his gun but did not shoot.
aim at/for
The pilot was aiming for the runway but came down in a nearby field.