aim at vs aim to

Both 'aim at' and 'aim to' are correct, but 'Aim at' is used when targeting a specific object or goal, while 'aim to' is used to express intention or purpose.

Explained by Michele A.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: March 31, 2025 • 5557 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"aim at"

Use 'aim at' when you want to indicate a specific target or goal that you are focusing on.

Examples:

The archer aimed at the bullseye.
Our marketing campaign aims at increasing brand awareness.
The new policy aims at reducing carbon emissions.
The detective aimed at solving the mystery.
The teacher aimed at improving student performance.

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All measures should also aim at promoting gender equality.
Ideally, the policy mix should aim at maximizing growth and minimizing unemployment and inflation.
Europe should aim at a zero-carbon economy by 2050.
It's marvellous for ordinary women to aim at rich and fulfilling careers.
When setting the technical criteria together with the US Environmental Protection Agency the Commission should aim at ambitious levels of energy efficiency.
Both programmes aim at enhancing SME finance and financial engineering.
These proposals aim at doing just that.
Now aim at a different row of solar panels.
But this antenna is built to aim at something.
So, you can easily aim at any target with this stuff.
Criticism of religions must aim at a general militant atheism and anticlerical against religious dogma.
The P rogramme shall aim at creating synergies between various policies through their better coordination.
Three amendments aim at minimising the risk of organ trafficking and other unethical and illegal activities.
Structural Funds aim at financing sustainable socio-economic and environmental development programmes in the Member States.
Ideally, we should aim at ensuring a measure of cooperation from the national authorities.
All these initiatives aim at improving citizens' access to high quality care.
Research and innovation activities should aim at understanding, detecting, preventing, deterring, preparing and protecting against security threats.
Both parties aim at realising the potential of energy cooperation.
The proposed restructuring measures aim at remedying these problems.
Specific targeted research projects will aim at improving European competitiveness.

Alternatives:

target
focus on
direct at

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"aim to"

Use 'aim to' when you want to express an intention or purpose, indicating what you are trying to achieve.

Examples:

We aim to finish the project by the end of the week.
The company aims to expand its market share.
She aims to become a doctor in the future.
The team aims to win the championship.
He aims to improve his English skills.

Show examples from the web [+]

Space-themed scroller arcade classic where you aim to destroy enemy ships before they get you.
We aim to eliminate all uncertainty.
But we aim to change all that.
We aim to destroy all the boys dorms in Tokyo through this marathon.
At the very minimum you should aim to get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
So I think we aim to do kind of similar things.
Sure Hotel Collection by Best Western is ideal for hospitality entrepreneurs that aim to optimize investments.
We aim to provide affordable price level and offer a wide range of services.
We aim to insurrect against bourgeois states, and also want unemployment benefit.
We aim to dispatch all orders within 24 hours.
Others aim to target the highly resistant cancer stem cells.
Project objectives aim to contribute to this mosaic of human-bear coexistence.
Any proposals would aim to increase competition and market efficiency.
Mr President, EU federalists aim to increase transnational decision-making.
That compromise must aim to keep Japan on board.
Activities will aim to tackle online grooming and cyber-bullying.
These policies should aim to improve labour-market matching and support sustainable transitions.
Its characteristic technical and engineering solutions aim to significantly minimise the environmental impact.
The country's monopoly investigations aim to protect consumers.
These are practices that aim to combat prejudices and micro-discrimination.

Alternatives:

intend to
strive to
endeavor to

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aim at vs aim to

"aim at"

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