appreciate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
appreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
appreciated,
past participle, past
-
appreciating
present participle
-
to be grateful or thankful for.
They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
-
to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on.
to appreciate good wine.
-
to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect.
to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
-
to raise in value.
verb (used without object)
-
appreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
appreciated,
past participle, past
-
appreciating
present participle
verb
-
to feel thankful or grateful for
to appreciate a favour
-
(may take a clause as object) to take full or sufficient account of
to appreciate a problem
-
to value highly
to appreciate Shakespeare
-
(usually intr) to raise or increase in value
Usage
What are other ways to say appreciate? To appreciate something is to value or regard it highly. How is appreciate different from esteem, value, and prize? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
appreciatesimple
-
appreciatessimple
-
have appreciatedperfect
-
has appreciatedperfect
-
am appreciatingprogressive
-
are appreciatingprogressive
-
is appreciatingprogressive
-
have been appreciatingperfect progressive
-
has been appreciatingperfect progressive
Past
-
appreciatedsimple
-
had appreciatedperfect
-
was appreciatingprogressive
-
were appreciatingprogressive
-
had been appreciatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of appreciate
First recorded in 1645–55; from Medieval Latin appreciātus “valued, appraised,” from Late Latin appretiātus, past participle of appretiāre “to appraise” (equivalent to Latin ap- ap- 1 + preti(um) price + -ātus -ate 1 )
Explanation
If you appreciate something, you recognize its value. We can all appreciate how refreshing cold lemonade is on a sweltering summer day. The oldest meaning of appreciate is "to know the worth of something": "The parolee appreciated his newfound freedom." A related sense is "to be grateful for something," but this usage can sound wordy. Instead of "I would appreciate your sending me more information," consider: "Please send me more information." The word can also be used (without a direct object) to mean "to rise in worth": "The vintage Corvette would appreciate in value over the years."
Vocabulary lists containing appreciate
List 4
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"Icarus's Flight," Vocabulary from the poem
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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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:
“There was a woman on the Hill who told me she was in a group chat where people share my tweets and they appreciate me standing up, even though people scream at me,” said Tanden.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
“I think this is a use case and a type of person where they’re going to appreciate someone getting out of the car and greeting them by name,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
I understand that the details will need to be worked out with my attorney and CPA, but I would appreciate hearing your perspective and ideas before moving forward.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
The first minister said he could "hear, understand and appreciate" these concerns and accepted that there were "significant challenges" in the system.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Jason rattled off facts about wombies—like their favorite grass to put on the barbecue, how they like their coffee, and how they appreciate a good joke above all.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
When Madison’s Frances goes on a blind date, her online match says he appreciates that the internet makes it simpler for singles to pair up “within their own vector.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Yet he appreciates there is another side to the photographs, and to the rebellion they record.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
An epic hero does not scorn death; he appreciates its gravity and confronts it anyway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"The 501st Combat Support Wing appreciates the swift response and continued support of our local law enforcement partners," it said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
It’s true, and I can tell he appreciates that I’ve noticed what others overlook—just like him.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
It appreciated more than 25 times from the $940,000 it went for in 2005.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Bodrum is perhaps best appreciated from the water, ideally on board a gulet, a wooden sailing vessel common in southwest Turkey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Many appreciated that she could relate to the challenges they faced as renters.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
His son Nathan thanked the band's fans down the decades "for all of the support you have given my dad over the years, I know he really appreciated you all".
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
He appreciated the apology but not as much as this.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
For the family, there is a balance between appreciating the community support, but not being overwhelmed by it, she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
A preservationist, he said, ought to be able to claim a similar legal interest “in physically viewing, appreciating, and studying a historic building as it is.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
She said the scale, height, and mass of the new ballroom would impair her aesthetic, cultural, and historical interests in viewing and appreciating the White House.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
“If they want to get ahead, invest in an appreciating asset, and the best one is themselves — their career, training, skill set, connections and ability to be flexible.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
The human ear and brain are capable of hearing and appreciating very small variations in timbre.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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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.
