admire
Americanverb (used with object)
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admires,
present (3rd person singular)
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admired,
past participle, past
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admiring
present participle
verb (used without object)
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admires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
admired,
past participle, past
-
admiring
present participle
-
to feel or express admiration.
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Dialect. to take pleasure; like or desire.
I would admire to go.
idioms
verb
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to regard with esteem, respect, approval, or pleased surprise
-
archaic to wonder at
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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admirernoun
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quasi-admireverb
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preadmireverb (used with object)
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admiringadjective
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unadmiredadjective
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admiringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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admiresimple
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admiressimple
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have admiredperfect
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has admiredperfect
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am admiringprogressive
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are admiringprogressive
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is admiringprogressive
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have been admiringperfect progressive
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has been admiringperfect progressive
Past
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admiredsimple
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had admiredperfect
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was admiringprogressive
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were admiringprogressive
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had been admiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of admire
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin admīrārī, equivalent to ad- ad- + mīrārī (in Medieval Latin mīrāre ) “to wonder at, admire”
Explanation
If you hold someone in high esteem or look up to someone, you admire that person. If you ask four-year-olds who they most admire, they are likely to list their mom, dad, and grandparents — or superheroes and comic book characters. The verb admire also means to look at with wonder and pleasure. She stood on the balcony of her hotel for a long time, simply to admire the view of the ocean and the surf as it crashed against the rocks below. I admire the way she volunteers to help at the school and with other charities because she is willing to give her time to good causes.
Vocabulary lists containing admire
"Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." and "I Have a Dream"
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"A Natural Balance" and "In My Dreams"
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Lyrics from "American Pie" by Don McLean
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Her backers see in her fierce loyalty and admire her eternal hunt for wage thieves to sue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Burnham said he would "always admire the characteristic courage and openness with which she spoke about her illness, making us all think about the difficult questions we face at the end of life".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
I’m not a Smith fanboy, though I certainly admire him for serving as a specialist prosecutor investigating war crimes in the Kosovo War.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
While attending one of his lectures, she connected with his idea that “before we take from nature, we must honor and admire it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I admire the intricate tiled ceilings and imagine artisans working together to create them.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
Turturro admires Harry’s old-school pride in his craft, but the character’s devotion to his ailing wife struck a deeper chord.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, the Cardiff-born presenter said he "admires" King Charles III in many ways, but said it was a "matter of choice".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Everyone’s impacted by the cost of living, and it gets us away from some of this divisive politics,” he said, citing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom Burnham admires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Macron invited him to a formal dinner to be held at the one place Trump admires most in the world, other than Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower: the Palace of Versailles.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
She admires the material of his mother’s sari, mentioning that her mother curates textiles at the Met.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The show blew up overnight, and before you knew it, you’re going to the Emmys and the BAFTAs with all these people who you have admired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Discover breathtaking prewar grandeur in this spacious one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom co-op featuring exceptional architectural detail and a wood-burning fireplace in one of Greenwich Village’s most admired full-service buildings,” the listing states.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Even people who don’t watch football have probably admired Saquon Barkley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Taylor admitted his mum was "rather alarmed" by their performance but she admired Freddie's courtesy and style.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
For this he had the support of several important faculty members who had taken a liking to Farmer and admired his accomplishments.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
“Frank Capra” is fond and admiring, even gushing at times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
"But admiring someone does not give you the right to take, to claim as mine texts that are not my own."
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
"I'm so admiring of his strength of character and the zen-like state he's been in since the very beginning of the match," said former British number one Annabel Croft.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
He also has admiring words for Robert F. Kennedy and his mix of conservative and liberal positions deployed in his 1968 campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The salesperson turned her attention back to Sara, who was once again admiring the watch she had on.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
