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:
She’s been through a lot of grief, and I admire her resilience.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
I look at the creatives I admire and you can see they have language in their work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 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
There was still plenty to admire about Chelsea's performance.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The granite is used to make monuments and statues, which are brought to all parts of Egypt for people to admire.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Brydon also spoke about another writing duo he admires - his fellow Gavin and Stacey cast mates Ruth Jones and James Corden.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 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
Quiñones commented, “Journalism is stronger because of your voice, your courage and your story-telling, Cecilia,” and Ramos wrote in Spanish that he respects and admires her.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Any man who admires my body now is a traitor to the previous Adah.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
During his first two years as the Lakers coach, Redick admired Williams’ intent on the defensive end from afar and commended the forward’s willingness to defend other teams’ star players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
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
Taylor admitted his mum was "rather alarmed" by their performance but she admired Freddie's courtesy and style.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“That’ll do, Molly,” said Mr. Jaggers, giving her a slight nod; “you have been admired, and can go.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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
That would be its own kind of insult, and no one worth admiring wants a roster spot handed to him as a gesture.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
"I was just admiring the fish itself, when he just jumped in a millisecond and grabbed into my calf," Achim said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"Everyone's admiring everyone and it feels like such a safe place to be, it's so heartwarming."
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
She gazes up at me with admiring awe.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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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.
