admire
Americanverb (used with object)
-
admires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
admired,
past participle, past
-
admiring
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
admires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
admired,
past participle, past
-
admiring
present participle
-
to feel or express admiration.
-
Dialect. to take pleasure; like or desire.
I would admire to go.
idioms
verb
-
to regard with esteem, respect, approval, or pleased surprise
-
archaic to wonder at
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
admirernoun
-
quasi-admireverb
-
preadmireverb (used with object)
-
admiringadjective
-
unadmiredadjective
-
admiringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
admiresimple
-
admiressimple
-
have admiredperfect
-
has admiredperfect
-
am admiringprogressive
-
are admiringprogressive
-
is admiringprogressive
-
have been admiringperfect progressive
-
has been admiringperfect progressive
Past
-
admiredsimple
-
had admiredperfect
-
was admiringprogressive
-
were admiringprogressive
-
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"A Natural Balance" and "In My Dreams"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lyrics from "American Pie" by Don McLean
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
She’s been through a lot of grief, and I admire her resilience.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
They are a threat from set-plays too but they have got the bit between their teeth and their whole attitude seems to be 'attack the Premier League' after getting promoted, which I really admire.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 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
At the end, though, his honesty and dignity made them admire Sancho Panza as a human being.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, Eisenkot said he "admires" Trump "but Israel is a democratic country, only Israelis can choose their leaders".
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
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
The obvious gem of the collection is the attention-getting title story, about the Canadian Nobel laureate Alice Munro, who died in 2024 — and whose complex, layered short fiction Aviv admires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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
He wants to go south, to Marseille, where Monticelli, the painter he admires so, had lived.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Macron admired a prototype all-electric version of Citroën’s 2CV model, a classic of the French company and a fixture of European streets in the postwar era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Michael Jordan was an incredibly talented player who is admired around the world,” Firman said in a statement distributed by Hunt Auctions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 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
These factors—cultural, technological, conceptual, political—were absent in China, and hence the Chinese admired clockwork but had no use for it.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
He spent the offseason admiring the great Lakers centers that came before him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 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
But take a step back and consider the finished garment with the grace it deserves, and chances are, you’ll find something worth admiring.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
“That mademoiselle has made good use of her time, and the result is charming,” replied Laurie, bowing with his hand on his heart and an admiring look.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
