as ‧ pire /əˈspaɪə $ əˈspaɪr/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: aspirer , from Latin aspirare 'to breathe on' , from ad- 'to, on to' + spirare 'to breathe' ]
to desire and work towards achieving something important
aspire to
college graduates aspiring to careers in finance
aspire to do something
At that time, all serious artists aspired to go to Rome.