Ambition
/æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or fame; desire to distinguish one's self from other people. countable, uncountable
"My daughter, Johanna, wants to be a firefighter very much. She has a lot of ambition."
- 2 a strong drive for success wordnet
- 3 An object of an ardent desire. countable
"My ambition is to own a helicopter."
- 4 a cherished desire wordnet
- 5 A desire, as in (sense 1), for another person to achieve these things. countable, uncountable
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- 6 A personal quality similar to motivation, not necessarily tied to a single goal. uncountable
- 7 The act of going about to solicit or obtain an office, or any other object of desire; canvassing. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"I on th' other ſide / Us'd no ambition to commend my deeds, […]"
Verb
- 1 To seek after ambitiously or eagerly; to covet.
"Pausanias, ambitioning the sovereignty of Greece, bargains with Xerxes for his daughter in marriage."
- 2 have as one's ambition wordnet
Example
More examples"It is Tom's ambition to go to the moon."
Etymology
From Middle English ambicioun, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambitiō (“ambition, a striving for favor, literally 'a going around', especially of candidates for office in Rome soliciting votes”), from ambiō (“I go around, solicit votes”). See ambient, issue.