1
as in casts
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal
the new accounting system is aimed at reducing costs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intends
to have in mind as a purpose or goal
aimed to have his paper all done in time to go to the movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
the main aim of a trip to the city is to shop for school clothes, but we always go to the artisans' market, too
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of aims
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Virginia voters just approved redistricting that aims to add four Democratic seats within its 11-member delegation.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Completion of this training is now required to obtain certification and aims to address knowledge gaps among retailers regarding the lawful use of the trademark.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 29 Apr. 2026
This question is at the heart of the food justice movement, a movement that aims to expose inequalities that shape our food world and to work toward equity.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s a new multinational force known as the Gang Suppression Force, with US backing, which aims to stabilize Haiti and ultimately make the country capable of functioning without the foreign force.
—Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Kochi prefecture’s initiative aims to reduce the barriers to finding suitable partners.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
This partnership aims to reduce the time required for the innovations needed to operate a commercial fusion power plant.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Apr. 2026
Those include ConversationRelay, which aims to generate human-like speech that connects to large-language models like ChatGPT, as well as a product called Conversational Intelligence.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Marlen Bartsch, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Trump’s first term was marked—and, in the view of those closest to him, limited—by its dependence on Administration officials who were, at best, skeptical of his aims.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Likelihood of success To be justified, the use of force must be likely to accomplish the war’s aims.
—Valerie Morkevicius, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026
Sacking him is an embarrassment for all concerned, but 106 days after his appointment, Chelsea’s executives felt a change was needed to give the club the best possible chance of achieving their remaining aims for the season.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Its aims instead are centered squarely on the importance of Josh and Melissa’s romance, the value in getting one partner to open up for another.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Higher learning belongs to everyone and CHILL at IPH aims to foster a welcoming space for curiosity and growth.
—Independent Picture House, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026
Those aims are fundamentally at odds.
—Catherine Thorbecke, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Orbán tried to paint the opposition as a puppet of Brussels, and an accomplice to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s war aims.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
Paramount Skydance last year unveiled a new ad format for its Paramount+ streamer that aims to create new value for streaming inventory.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Virginia voters just approved redistricting that aims to add four Democratic seats within its 11-member delegation.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Completion of this training is now required to obtain certification and aims to address knowledge gaps among retailers regarding the lawful use of the trademark.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 29 Apr. 2026
This question is at the heart of the food justice movement, a movement that aims to expose inequalities that shape our food world and to work toward equity.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
There’s a new multinational force known as the Gang Suppression Force, with US backing, which aims to stabilize Haiti and ultimately make the country capable of functioning without the foreign force.
—Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Kochi prefecture’s initiative aims to reduce the barriers to finding suitable partners.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
This partnership aims to reduce the time required for the innovations needed to operate a commercial fusion power plant.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Apr. 2026
Those include ConversationRelay, which aims to generate human-like speech that connects to large-language models like ChatGPT, as well as a product called Conversational Intelligence.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
One of the association’s key aims is to serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas, business strategies, and improvements.
—Marlen Bartsch, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Trump’s first term was marked—and, in the view of those closest to him, limited—by its dependence on Administration officials who were, at best, skeptical of his aims.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Likelihood of success To be justified, the use of force must be likely to accomplish the war’s aims.
—Valerie Morkevicius, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026
Sacking him is an embarrassment for all concerned, but 106 days after his appointment, Chelsea’s executives felt a change was needed to give the club the best possible chance of achieving their remaining aims for the season.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Its aims instead are centered squarely on the importance of Josh and Melissa’s romance, the value in getting one partner to open up for another.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Higher learning belongs to everyone and CHILL at IPH aims to foster a welcoming space for curiosity and growth.
—Independent Picture House, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026
Those aims are fundamentally at odds.
—Catherine Thorbecke, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Orbán tried to paint the opposition as a puppet of Brussels, and an accomplice to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s war aims.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aims
Verb
-
The most expensive work sold at auction by a living artist is Jeff Koons’s Rabbit, which takes the idea of a ready-made and casts it in stainless steel.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
24 Apr. 2026
-
With a blend of atmospheric beatmaking, gauzy harmonies, and impressionistic songwriting, Quiet Light’s music casts a distinct spell, like stumbling upon Imogen Heap in a forest clearing or imagining a Taylor Swift album produced by Harold Budd.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In a court filing Tuesday, prosecutors said Fairley intends to plead guilty in the sports betting case and a separate case in which he and others are accused of scheming to obtain nonpublic information to bet on college basketball and Chinese Basketball Association games.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Overall, Barclays intends to return more than £15 billion of capital to shareholders between 2026 and 2028.—
Chloe Taylor,Hugh Leask,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Senior forward Jordyn Washington, who also scored Tuesday, has a team-best 17 goals.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Beachy is worried that basic research could take a back seat to short-term goals as defined by the White House.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Scott Windhauser directs from his own script.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Co-written by its star Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian, who directs, the play dramatizes the real-life violence of Ken McElroy, a man who terrorized a small town for years in rural Missouri.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Today’s newsletter highlights David Scott’s daughter, Marcye Scott, plans to run in the special election to fill his unexpired term.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Sources told Variety at the time that Marvel plans to keep a small visual development team, hiring people on a project by project basis, and remains committed to working with visual development artists on its projects.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Here, sheep can’t solve crimes until human incompetence forces them to step into the breach; though pushed for the purposes of fantasy, the limits of animal intelligence are a poignant factor in the tale.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional veterinary advice.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The campaign focuses on supporting NICU infants with products designed alongside nurses and doctors to meet their specific needs.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of delivering isolated creative assets, the company focuses on aligning strategy and execution so that each initiative contributes to a broader business goal.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fraser hopes against hope that this whole debacle will increase their tip, however meagerly.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Aims.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aims. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
