an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment: Too much ambition caused him to be disliked by his colleagues.
the object, state, or result desired or sought after: The crown was his ambition.
desire for work or activity; energy: I awoke feeling tired and utterly lacking in ambition.
verb (used with object)
to seek after earnestly; aspire to.
Origin of ambition
1300–50; Middle English ambicio(u)n (<Middle French ) <Latin ambitiōn- (stem of ambitiō), equivalent to amb-ambi- + -i- go + -t- past participle suffix + -iōn--ion
Pelosi had resisted demands from moderates in her caucus to narrow her ambitions or put a new bill on the floor, insisting that Republicans should be the ones to offer new concessions.
Pelosi abruptly shifts course, restarts relief push amid signs economy is straining|Erica Werner, Rachael Bade|September 24, 2020|Washington Post
However, its near term target of peaking emissions before 2030 is unaltered and it is this near term ambition that counts….
Experts praise China’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2060—but more could be done|eamonbarrett|September 24, 2020|Fortune
This was the central ambition of a number of no-longer-existing startups over 10 years ago.
Google boosting visibility of ‘nearby’ product inventory with new Shopping features|Greg Sterling|September 16, 2020|Search Engine Land
The program, which is an expansion of one Walmart began testing last year for free grocery delivery, is another signal of the retailer’s growing e-commerce ambitions.
America’s largest retailer is taking on Amazon Prime|Marc Bain|September 4, 2020|Quartz
If ambition doesn’t inhabit you, you wonder what all the hubbub is about.
Bethenny Frankel Reveals Why She’s an ‘Animal’|Eugene Robinson|September 2, 2020|Ozy
The other narrative is of mobility in the service of ambition.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their authors promise that your spirit will be improved, your ambition honed, and your finances maximized by their advice.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?|Lizzie Crocker|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it led him in his teenage years to declare his ambition to become a cop.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Reid planted a flag, ready to make his mark in the world of whisky, backed by ambition and a gorgeous piece of land.
Ester Elchies, The Estate Built By Whiskey||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He made little secret of his ambition to become the next prime minister, much to the chagrin of Netanyahu.
Goodbye to Israel’s Lousy Government (Let’s Hope the Next One Isn’t Worse)|Alon Ben-Meir|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fired with ambition by these successes, he pressed boldly onward to reduce the cities and lands of the east.
The History of Antiquity, Vol. I (of VI)|Max Duncker
Eliza Doolittle's ambition is to become fitted for the functions of a young lady in a florist's shop.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 22, 1914|Various
It had been his ambition to make of his son a renowned minister who should shine in controversy, and an eloquent preacher.
The Insect|Jules Michelet
His ambition and his simple personal successes had formerly distracted him from the sentiments which madame de Rnal had inspired.
The Red and the Black|Stendhal
In all his conversations, he spoke of ambition as a quality absolutely necessary to form the character of a soldier.
The Surrender of Napoleon|Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland.
British Dictionary definitions for ambition
ambition
/ (æmˈbɪʃən) /
noun
strong desire for success, achievement, or distinction
something so desired; goal; aim
Word Origin for ambition
C14: from Old French, from Latin ambitiō a going round (of candidates), a striving to please, from ambīre to go round; see ambit