appreciate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to be grateful or thankful for.
They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
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to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on.
to appreciate good wine.
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to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect.
to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
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to raise in value.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to feel thankful or grateful for
to appreciate a favour
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(may take a clause as object) to take full or sufficient account of
to appreciate a problem
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to value highly
to appreciate Shakespeare
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(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
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appreciatesimple
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appreciatessimple
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have appreciatedperfect
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has appreciatedperfect
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are appreciatingprogressive
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am appreciatingprogressive
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is appreciatingprogressive
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have been appreciatingperfect progressive
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has been appreciatingperfect progressive
Past
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appreciatedsimple
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had appreciatedperfect
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was appreciatingprogressive
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were appreciatingprogressive
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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.
The ads, for a while, encouraged viewers to “call and thank Senator Collins” and “tell her you appreciate all she is doing for Maine.”
From Slate • Jun. 16, 2026
After years of touring and "constantly moving", he says he was close to burning out and wanted to make sure he could fully appreciate the moment he had spent years working towards.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
You don’t have to like Mr. Musk to appreciate what he has built.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
“I appreciate the passion, rigor, and commitment UC faculty bring in support of our students, and I look forward to the thoughtful discussions and outcomes this initiative will produce.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
I appreciate it that he didn’t try to explain you were dead.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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Definitions 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.