aspiration
aspiration — noun
1. a long-term goal or ambition that someone really wants to reach in life or work,
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.
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
The mayor spoke about the political aspirations of the new generation.
Hiro gave up his aspirations of medical school after his father fell ill.
Sofia left her bank job to chase her aspirations of running a small bakery in Lisbon.
- indifference
lack of any wish to achieve something.
文法句型
aspiration to + infinitive
aspirations of + -ing
用法筆記
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'.
常見錯誤
2. in medicine, the act of pulling fluid, tissue, or air out of a part of the body
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.
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.
The nurse prepared the tray for a bone marrow aspiration.
Doctors performed an aspiration to drain the air trapped around her lung.
文法句型
aspiration of + body fluid/tissue
用法筆記
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').
常見錯誤
3. in medicine, the dangerous event of accidentally drawing food, liquid, or vomit
in medicine, the dangerous event of accidentally drawing food, liquid, or vomit down into the lungs while breathing.
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.
Nurses turned baby Theo onto his side to prevent aspiration of milk.
The dentist warned that aspiration of a tiny crown could damage the lungs.
- 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.
文法句型
aspiration of + substance
用法筆記
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'.
常見錯誤
4. in phonetics, the small puff of breath that you can hear right after certain con
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'.
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.
Mandarin tells some consonants apart by aspiration, not by whether the vocal cords vibrate.
Professor Lin asked the class to mark every aspiration in the recorded passage.
- puff of air
everyday wording teachers use with beginners.
- non-aspiration
the absence of the breath, as in French 'p' or Spanish 'p'.
用法筆記
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').