aspirar

Senses

1. 1.

   to aspire (to), to aim (for)

   to have ambition or desire to achieve something

2. 2.

   to inhale, to breathe in

   to draw air or a substance into the lungs

3. 3.

   to vacuum, to hoover

   to clean using a vacuum cleaner

Examples

• "Ela sempre aspirou a uma carreira internacional."

  She always aspired to an international career.

• "É perigoso aspirar produtos químicos sem proteção."

  It's dangerous to inhale chemical products without protection.

• "Vou aspirar o tapete da sala antes da visita chegar."

  I'm going to vacuum the living room rug before the guests arrive.

Usage

When meaning "to aspire," aspirar takes the preposition "a" (aspirar a algo). The meaning "to vacuum" is very common in Brazilian Portuguese household contexts. The three senses are quite distinct, so context makes the meaning clear.