aim

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To plan or intend to do something.

   We aim to arrive at noon.

2. 2
   verb

   To point a weapon or object toward something you want to hit.

   Please don't aim the gun at your little brother!

3. 3
   verb

   To design something for a particular group of people.

   This campaign is aimed at families looking for an affordable car.

4. 4
   noun

   A purpose or goal you want to achieve.

   Her main aim is to become a doctor.

5. 5
   noun

   The act of pointing a weapon at a target.

   He took aim and fired.

Multiword verbs with aim

• aim at Prepositional verb B1

  to direct a shot or throw toward a chosen target

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Aim came into Middle English through French from Latin aestimare, meaning “assess” or “estimate.” Its history reflects the idea of evaluating something before choosing a direction.

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.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary