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aim. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
aim, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
aim in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
The verb is from Middle English amen, aimen, eimen (“to guess at, to estimate, to aim”), borrowed from Old French esmer, aesmer, asmer, from Latin ad- plus aestimare (“to estimate”), the compound perhaps being originally formed in Medieval Latin (adaestimare), perhaps in Old French.
The noun is from Middle English ame, from Old French aesme, esme.
Noun
aim (plural aims)
- The pointing of a weapon, as a gun, a dart, or an arrow, or object, in the line of direction with the object intended to be struck; the line of fire; the direction of anything, such as a spear, a blow, a discourse, a remark, towards a particular point or object, with a view to strike or affect it.
Take time with the aim of your gun.
to take aim
- The point intended to be hit, or object intended to be attained or affected.
- Intention or goal
- Synonyms: purpose, design, scheme
My number one aim in life is to make money to make my parents, siblings and kids happy.
1891, Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism:There is no doubt at all that this is the future of machinery, and just as trees grow while the country gentleman is asleep, so while Humanity will be amusing itself, or enjoying cultivated leisure which, and not labour, is the aim of man - or making beautiful things, or reading beautiful things, or simply contemplating the world with admiration and delight, machinery will be doing all the necessary and unpleasant work.
2012, Francesca Valensise, From Building Fabric to City Form: Reconstruction in Calabria at end of Eighteenth Century, Gangemi Editore spa, →ISBN, page 8:As a matter of fact the Enlightment culture was based on a philosophy inspired to an ethical laicism whose aim was to create a better society based on principles such as solidarity, equality of rights and duties, and full freedom.
- The ability of someone to aim straight; one's faculty for being able to hit a physical target
The police officer has excellent aim, always hitting the bullseye in shooting practice.
- (obsolete) Conjecture; guess.
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :What you would work me to, I have some aim.
Synonyms
- (intention): aspiration, design, end, ettle, intention, mint, object, purpose, scheme, scope, tendency; See also Thesaurus:goal or Thesaurus:intention
Derived terms
Translations
pointing of a weapon towards a particular point or object
point intended to be hit
- Armenian: նպատակ (hy) (npatak)
- Belarusian: цэль f (celʹ), мішэ́нь f (mišénʹ)
- Bulgarian: цел (bg) f (cel), мише́на (bg) f (mišéna), прице́л (bg) m (pricél)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 標的/标的 (zh) (biāodì), 靶子 (zh) (bǎzi)
- Czech: terč (cs) m
- Dutch: doel (nl) n
- Finnish: tähtäyspiste, maali (fi)
- French: cible (fr) f
- Galician: fito m, sisto m
- German: Ziel (de) n, Zielscheibe (de) f, Schießscheibe (de) f
- Greek: στόχος (el) m (stóchos)
- Hungarian: cél (hu), célpont (hu)
- Ido: skopo (io)
- Italian: obiettivo (it)
- Korean: 목표 (ko) (mokpyo)
- Macedonian: нишан m (nišan)
- Malayalam: ലക്ഷ്യം (ml) (lakṣyaṁ), ഉന്നം (ml) (unnaṁ)
- Maori: whāinga (mi)
- Polish: tarcza (pl) f, cel (pl) m
- Portuguese: alvo (pt) m
- Romanian: țintă (ro) f, țel (ro), obiectiv (ro) n
- Russian: цель (ru) f (celʹ), мише́нь (ru) f (mišénʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: amas m
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ме́та f, нѝшан m
- Roman: méta (sh) f, nìšan (sh) m
- Slovak: terč m
- Slovene: tarča (sl) f
- Spanish: objetivo (es) m
- Telugu: లక్ష్యము (te) (lakṣyamu)
- Turkish: hedef (tr), nişan (tr)
- Ukrainian: ціль (uk) f (cilʹ), міше́нь f (mišénʹ)
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intention; purpose
- Arabic: هَدَف (ar) m (hadaf)
- Armenian: նպատակ (hy) (npatak)
- Bashkir: маҡсат (maqsat), ниәт (niət)
- Belarusian: мэ́та (be) f (méta), цэль f (celʹ), наме́р m (namjér)
- Bengali: মকসদ (bn) (mokśod)
- Bulgarian: цел (bg) f (cel), намере́ние (bg) n (namerénie)
- Catalan: fi (ca) m
- Cebuano: tuyo
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 目標/目标 (zh) (mùbiāo), 目的 (zh) (mùdì)
- Czech: cíl (cs) m
- Dutch: doel (nl) n, oogmerk (nl) n, bedoeling (nl) n
- Esperanto: celo (eo)
- Finnish: aikomus (fi), tarkoitus (fi), tavoite (fi)
- French: objectif (fr) m, ambition (fr) f, but (fr) m
- Galician: obxectivo (gl) m
- German: Ziel (de) n
- Greek: σκοπός (el) m (skopós), στόχος (el) m (stóchos)
- Ancient: σκοπός m (skopós)
- Hindi: उद्देश्य (hi) m (uddeśya), इरादा (hi) m (irādā)
- Hungarian: cél (hu), célkitűzés (hu), szándék (hu)
- Indonesian: tujuan (id)
- Irish: aidhm (ga) f
- Italian: obiettivo (it), scopo (it), priorità (it)
- Japanese: 目標 (ja) (もくひょう, mokuhyō), 目的 (ja) (もくてき, mokuteki)
- Korean: 목표(目標) (ko) (mokpyo), 목적(目的) (ko) (mokjeok)
- Macedonian: цел f (cel), мета f (meta)
- Malay: tujuan (ms), توجوان
- Malayalam: ലക്ഷ്യം (ml) (lakṣyaṁ), ഉന്നം (ml) (unnaṁ)
- Maori: whāinga (mi)
- Ottoman Turkish: مقصد (maksad), هدف (hedef), غایه (gaye)
- Polish: cel (pl) m
- Portuguese: objetivo (pt)
- Romanian: scop (ro) n, intenție (ro) f
- Russian: цель (ru) f (celʹ), наме́рение (ru) n (namérenije)
- Sanskrit: अर्थ (sa) m (artha)
- Scottish Gaelic: amas m
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ци̑љ m, ме́та f
- Roman: cȋlj (sh) m, méta (sh) f
- Slovak: cieľ m
- Slovene: cilj (sl) m
- Spanish: objetivo (es) m, intención (es) m
- Swedish: sikte (sv) n
- Turkish: maksat (tr)
- Turkmen: maksat
- Ukrainian: мета́ (uk) f (metá), на́мір (uk) m (námir), ціль (uk) f (cilʹ)
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Translations to be checked
Verb
aim (third-person singular simple present aims, present participle aiming, simple past and past participle aimed)
- (intransitive) To point or direct a missile, or a weapon which propels as missile, towards an object or spot with the intent of hitting it
He aimed at the target, but the arrow flew straight over it.
- (intransitive) To direct the intention or purpose; to attempt the accomplishment of a purpose; to try to gain; to endeavor;—followed by at, or by an infinitive
to aim at a pass
to aim to do well in life
2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 76:Risk is everywhere. […] For each one there is a frighteningly precise measurement of just how likely it is to jump from the shadows and get you. “The Norm Chronicles” […] aims to help data-phobes find their way through this blizzard of risks.
- (transitive) To direct or point (e.g. a weapon), at a particular object; to direct, as a missile, an act, or a proceeding, at, to, or against an object
to aim an arrow at the deer
She aimed a punch at her ex-boyfriend.
- (transitive) To direct (something verbal) towards a certain person, thing, or group
to aim a satirical comment at Communists in general
- (intransitive, obsolete) To guess or conjecture.
Usage notes
Derived terms
Translations
to point or direct a missile weapon
- Asturian: solmenar
- Azerbaijani: tuşlamaq
- Belarusian: цэ́ліцца impf (célicca), прыцэ́львацца impf (prycélʹvacca), прыцэ́ліцца pf (prycélicca)
- Bulgarian: це́ля се (bg) impf (célja se), прице́лвам се impf (pricélvam se), прице́ля се pf (pricélja se)
- Catalan: apuntar (ca)
- Cherokee: please add this translation if you can
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 瞄準/瞄准 (zh) (miáozhǔn)
- Czech: mířit (cs) impf, namířit pf, zamířit (cs) pf
- Danish: rette
- Dhivehi: please add this translation if you can
- Dutch: richten (nl)
- Esperanto: celi (eo)
- Finnish: tähdätä (fi)
- French: viser (fr)
- German: zielen (de)
- Hadza: tanche
- Hungarian: céloz (hu), megcéloz (hu), célba vesz (hu), irányít (hu), ráirányít (hu)
- Indonesian: bidik (id), membidik (id)
- Ingrian: tarkata, tarkoittaa
- Irish: aimsigh
- Italian: puntare (it), mirare (it)
- Japanese: 狙う (ja) (ねらう, nerau)
- Khmer: តម្រង់ (km) (tɑmrɑng)
- Luxembourgish: biichten
- Macedonian: цели impf (celi)
- Maori: kero, whakakeko, titiro whakakeko
- Ottoman Turkish: نشانلامق (nişanlamak)
- Polish: celować (pl) impf, wycelować pf, mierzyć (pl) impf
- Portuguese: mirar (pt), apontar (pt)
- Russian: це́литься (ru) impf (célitʹsja), прице́ливаться (ru) impf (pricélivatʹsja), наце́ливать (ru) impf (nacélivatʹ), прице́литься (ru) pf (pricélitʹsja), направля́ть (ru) impf (napravljátʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: amais
- Slovak: mieriť impf, zamieriť pf
- Spanish: apuntar (es), dirigir (es), lazar (es), asestar (es)
- Swedish: sikta (sv)
- Thai: เล็ง (th) (leng)
- Ukrainian: ці́литися (uk) impf (cílytysja), приці́люватися (uk) impf (prycíljuvatysja), приці́литися pf (prycílytysja)
- Vietnamese: nhắm (vi)
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to direct the intention or purpose
- Belarusian: пра́гнуць impf (práhnucʹ), намага́цца impf (namahácca)
- Bulgarian: стремя́ се impf (stremjá se), домо́гвам се impf (domógvam se)
- Catalan: apuntar (ca)
- Czech: zamýšlet
- Esperanto: celi (eo)
- Finnish: pyrkiä (fi)
- French: viser (fr), cibler (fr)
- German: zielen (de)
- Hungarian: céloz (hu), megcéloz (hu), törekszik (hu), szándékozik (hu), igyekszik (hu)
- Irish: aimsigh
- Italian: puntare (it), tendere (it), indirizzare (it)
- Japanese: 目指す (ja) (めざす, mezasu)
- Khmer: មានបំណង (miən bɑmnɑɑng)
- Old Church Slavonic: направити (napraviti)
- Portuguese: apontar (pt), almejar (pt)
- Russian: стреми́ться (ru) impf (stremítʹsja), домога́ться (ru) impf (domogátʹsja), име́ть в виду́ impf (imétʹ v vidú), ме́тить (ru) impf (métitʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: amais
- Spanish: apuntar (es), pretender (es)
- Ukrainian: пра́гнути impf (práhnuty), намага́тися impf (namahátysja)
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Translations to be checked
Etymology 2
Noun
aim
- Initialism of America Online. AIM; AOL Instant Messenger.
Further reading
- “aim”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “aim”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Anagrams
- AMI, I am, I'm a, I'm a', I'm'a, I'm-a, I'ma, IAM, Ima, Ima', MAI, MIA, Mai, Mia, i'm'a, i'ma, ima, mai, mia
Final
aim
- control, influence; see ohkottaimm
References
- Donald G. Frantz, Norma J. Russel (1989) Blackfoot Dictionary of Stems, Roots, and Affixes, 3rd edition, University of Toronto Press, published 2017
Estonian
Etymology
Of Finnic origin. Cognate to Finnish aimottaa.
Noun
aim (genitive aimu, partitive aimu)
- sense, idea of something, feeling
Pole aimugi.- I have no idea.
Declension
Mandarin
Romanization
aim
- Nonstandard spelling of áim.
Usage notes
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Scots
Etymology
Derived from Old Norse eimr (“vapour, steam”).
Pronunciation
Noun
aim (plural aims)
- (Caithness) A hot glow, a blast of hot air
References
West Makian
Pronunciation
Noun
aim
- name
References
- Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours, Pacific linguistics (as aym)
Yola
Etymology
From Middle English ayme, from Old French aesme, esme.
Pronunciation
Noun
aim
- intent
1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 4, page 84:Chote well aar aim was t'yie ouz n'eer a blowe.- I saw (well) their intent was to give us ne'er a stroke.
Related terms
References
- Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 84