Aim

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Aim, v. i. [OE. amen, aimen, eimen, to guess at, to estimate, to aim, OF. esmer, asmer, fr. L. aestimare to estimate; or perh. fr. OF. aesmer; (L. ad) + esmer. See Estimate.].

•  To point or direct a missile weapon, or a weapon which propels as missile, towards an object or spot with the intent of hitting it; as, to aim at a fox, or at a target.  [1913 Webster]
•  To direct the indention or purpose; to attempt the accomplishment of a purpose; to try to gain; to endeavor; -- followed by at, or by an infinitive; as, to aim at distinction; to aim to do well.  [1913 Webster]

  "Aim'st thou at princes?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To guess or conjecture.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

Aim, v. t. 

 To direct or point, as a weapon, at a particular object; to direct, as a missile, an act, or a proceeding, at, to, or against an object; as, to aim a musket or an arrow, the fist or a blow (at something); to aim a satire or a reflection (at some person or vice).  [1913 Webster]

Aim, n. [Cf. OF. esme estimation, fr. esmer. See Aim, v. i.].

•  The pointing of a weapon, as a gun, a dart, or an arrow, in the line of direction with the object intended to be struck; the line of fire; the direction of anything, as a spear, a blow, a discourse, a remark, towards a particular point or object, with a view to strike or affect it.  [1913 Webster]

  "Each at the head leveled his deadly aim."  [1913 Webster]
•  The point intended to be hit, or object intended to be attained or affected.  [1913 Webster]

  "To be the aim of every dangerous shot."  [1913 Webster]
•  Intention; purpose; design; scheme.  [1913 Webster]

  "How oft ambitious aims are crossed!"  [1913 Webster]
•  Conjecture; guess.  [1913 Webster]

  "What you would work me to, I have some aim."  [1913 Webster]

To cry aim (Archery), to encourage. [Obs.] Shak.

Syn. -- End; object; scope; drift; design; purpose; intention; scheme; tendency; aspiration.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Aim, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. (foll. by at + verbal noun, or to + infin.) intend or try (aim at winning; aim to win).
2 tr. (usu. foll. by at) direct or point (a weapon, remark, etc.).
3 intr. take aim.
4 intr. (foll. by at, for) seek to attain or achieve.
--n.
1 a purpose, a design, an object aimed at.
2 the directing of a weapon, missile, etc., at an object.

Idiom

take aim direct a weapon etc. at an object.

Etymology

ME f. OF ult. f. L aestimare reckon

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Aim

n. The task we set our wishes to.

"Cheer up! Have you no aim in life?"
She tenderly inquired.
"An aim? Well, no, I haven't, wife;
The fact is -- I have fired."
G.J.

THESAURUS

Aim

address, affectation, aim at, ambition, angle, animus, aspiration, aspire, aspire after, aspire to, atmosphere, attempt, aura, azimuth, be after, be determined, bear, bearing, bend, bent, butt, by-end, by-purpose, cast, character, choose, complacency, concentrate, contemplate, counsel, course, covet, crave, current, descant, desideration, desideratum, design, desire, destination, destine, determination, determine, diapason, direct, direction, direction line, directionize, dispose, drift, drive at, effect, end, end in view, endeavor, essay, expect, feel, feeling, final cause, fix, fix on, fixed purpose, focus, function, game, go, go for, goal, harbor a design, have every intention, have in view, head, heading, helmsmanship, hold a heading, hold on, idea, idol, inclination, incline, intend, intendment, intent, intention, labor, lay, lead, level, level at, lie, line, line of direction, line of march, loftiness, lugs, mannerism, mark, mean, meaning, measure, melodia, melody, mind, mood, motive, navigation, nisus, object, object in mind, objective, orientation, ostentation, pant, piloting, plan, point, point at, point to, present, pretentiousness, prey, project, property, proposal, propose, prospectus, purport, purpose, pursuit, quality, quarry, quarter, quintain, range, reason for being, resolution, resolve, run, sake, seek, self-importance, semblance, set, show, sight on, steer, steerage, steering, strain, strive, striving, struggle, study, sweat, sweat blood, take aim, target, teleology, tend, tend to go, tendency, tenor, think, track, train, train upon, trend, try, tune, turn, turn upon, ultimate aim, urge, vainglory, vanity, verge, view, want, warble, way, will, wish, yearn for

ROGET THESAURUS

Aim

Intention

N intent, intention, intentionality, purpose, quo animo, project, undertaking, predetermination, design, ambition, contemplation, mind, animus, view, purview, proposal, study, look out, final cause, raison d'etre, cui bono, object, aim, end, the be all and the end all, drift, tendency, destination, mark, point, butt, goal, target, bull's-eye, quintain, prey, quarry, game, decision, determination, resolve, fixed set purpose, settled purpose, ultimatum, resolution, wish, arriere pensee, motive, teleology, intended, intentional, advised, express, determinate, prepense, bound for, intending, minded, bent upon, at stake, on the anvil, on the tapis, in view, in prospect, in the breast of, in petto, teleological, intentionally, advisedly, wittingly, knowingly, designedly, purposely, on purpose, by design, studiously, pointedly, with intent, deliberately, with one's eyes open, in cold blood, for, with a view, with an eye to, in order to, in order that, to the end that, with the intent that, for the purpose of, with the view of, in contemplation of, on account of, in pursuance of, pursuant to, quo animo, to all intents and purposes, The road to hell is paved with good intentions, sublimi feriam sidera vertice.

Essay

N essay, trial, endeavor, attempt, aim, struggle, venture, adventure, speculation, coup d'essai, debut, probation, essaying, experimental, tentative, empirical, probationary, experimentally, on trial, at a venture, by rule of thumb, if one may be so bold, aut non tentaris aut perfice, chi non s'arrischia non guadagna.

Direction

N direction, management, managery, government, gubernation, conduct, legislation, regulation, guidance, bossism, legislature, steerage, pilotage, reins, reins of government, helm, rudder, needle, compass, guiding star, load star, lode star, pole star, cynosure, supervision, superintendence, surveillance, oversight, eye of the master, control, charge, board of control, command, premiership, senatorship, director, chair, portfolio, statesmanship, statecraft, kingcraft, queencraft, ministry, ministration, administration, stewardship, proctorship, agency, director, directing, hegemonic, at the helm, at the head of, direction, bearing, course, vector, set, drift, tenor, tendency, incidence, bending, trending, dip, tack, aim, collimation, steering steerage, point of the compass, cardinal points, North East, South, West, N by E, ENE, NE by N, NE, rhumb, azimuth, line of collimation, line, path, road, range, quarter, line of march, alignment, allignment, air line, beeline, straight shoot, directed, directed towards, pointing towards, bound for, aligned, with alligned with, direct, straight, undeviating, unswerving, straightforward, North, Northern, Northerly, towards, on the road, on the high road to, en avant, versus, to, hither, thither, whither, directly, straight as an arrow, forwards as an arrow, point blank, in a bee line to, in a direct line to, as the crow flies, in a straight line to, in a bee line for, in a direct line for, in a straight line for, in a bee line with, in a direct line with, in a straight line with, in a line with, full tilt at, as the crow flies, before the wind, near the wind, close to the wind, against the wind, windwards, in the wind's eye, through, via, by way of, in all directions, in all manner of ways, quaquaversum, from the four winds, the shortest distance between two points is a stra.