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)
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admired,
past participle, past
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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
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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:
“I admire that they learned quickly and they didn’t need a gatekeeper,” Kelly says of the prodigies that have taken this year’s box office by storm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
We should be hesitant to place halos around the heads of people we admire, just as we shouldn’t totally condemn those with whom we disagree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The series never asked us to admire chefs simply because they were famous.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
His work without the ball is another reason Liverpool's recruitment team are understood to admire him.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
It’s not that I think people will admire me and be my friend.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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
He admires him, but there is a quiet stubbornness in how he frames his own ambition.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Dressed in form-fitting suits with eye-catching colors, de la Espriella cuts the figure of one of the politicians he most openly admires: Nayib Bukele.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 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
Vincent argues not only with Theo, and with himself, but also with friends and people he admires.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Norman Siegel, a civil rights attorney who frequently sued Giuliani’s administration, said he admired Mastro’s commitment to the city, even though they didn’t land on the same side on many issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
His work without the ball is another reason Liverpool's recruitment team admired him.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
“I can’t claim to know what he thinks or what he’s trying to accomplish, but it’s really hard to see this person that I admired support that kind of thing,” Eves said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Dutch -- with their dikes, dams and vast waterworks--have long been admired for their tenacity in the face of flood risks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
He was what all Greece except Athens most admired.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The very thing that made their creative work possible – a large, mostly admiring audience – was also its biggest threat.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 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
The documentary features admiring poets as well as Stephen Colbert, a huge Oliver fan, and the irreverent and colorful John Waters, a longtime friend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Mr. Ackroyd is admiring of Auden’s poetic accomplishment, from his recondite early work to the later, more conversational and religiously inspired verses that some critics have disliked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Instead, I found Daoud admiring himself in a standing mirror.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
