admire
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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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
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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:
Italian giants Juventus and Serie A champions Inter are interested in Stones - the latter also admire Spence - while Leeds United want to keep the Yorkshire-born defender in the Premier League.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
And I greatly admire his dedication to maintaining his physical abilities throughout the years and his philanthropic pursuits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
Reasonable lawyers can admire that analysis without agreeing with where it ends.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
I don’t linger but admire the genius of it, grab a fist of Rioja Alta and head to the rooftop lounge for a sunset thought amid stunning views of the city.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026
I rap my knuckles on it and admire the clang.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
“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
Teju said she supported Bukayo Saka - and his partner Tolami Benson, whose outfits she admires.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
The low-budget film stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette as a man who makes a sinister bargain to win the affections of the woman he admires -- and must bear the consequences.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
Kwon admires her ability to construct situations that “linger and linger,” prompting her to often ask: What would I do?
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
“Oh, what a sweet house!—How very beautiful!—There are the yellow curtains that Miss Nash admires so much.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
“I’ve admired Grupo Niche for years,” Peluso said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Disraeli, who admired Lord Byron and cut a similarly romantic figure, began as a novelist whose financial speculations drove him nearly into disgrace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
However, it's believed she admired US billionaire Kang's ambitions for the women's game, having been a long-standing rival to the owner's successful French club Lyon.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
We learned about the annual return of swallows, admired blooming roses and citrus trees and absorbed a simple story: Spanish conquistadors and Catholic priests tamed a wild land, and we should follow their example.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
He admired the gentility of the city’s citizens and the cleanliness of its streets.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
And social media brimmed with foreign fans admiring the US way of life.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
My colleague Alex Kirshner wrote about @FreddyLA7, a German X user visiting the U.S. for the tournament whose admiring, travelogue-style posts about Taco Bell, state parks, and other Americana are going viral.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Members of the current US team know exactly who Armstrong is, and one admiring player even has similar facial hair.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
He chose “friendly” and instructed the bot to be admiring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
When we left the dining-room, she proposed to show me over the rest of the house; and I followed her upstairs and downstairs, admiring as I went; for all was well arranged and handsome.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
