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:
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
Should I admire them greatly, or is there some underlying dynamic that reveals this all to be kind of pathetic?
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
It's so stupid and basic, and yet it scratches a tried-and-tested musical itch with such precision that you have to admire its audacity.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Penelope could not help but admire the quick, expert way he tied his sailor knots.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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 and respects his dad, he says, but sometimes hearing the same advice from other entrepreneurs hits differently.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 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
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
He admires the colorful houses, the thatched roofs, and finds both the village and the countryside “gravely beautiful.”
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Daniel Shelton attended an early August campaign rally in Houston and said he admired Paxton’s common sense.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I admired him for how tough and stoic he was,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
This referred to the combination of aggressive monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms under assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, a figure greatly admired by Japan's first woman leader Takaichi.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
It said: "Much loved by visitors, the painting reflects the emotion, colour and distinctive character that made Sinnott's work so widely admired."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
I wondered, as I looked at this fair creature: I admired her with my whole heart.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
One can’t help admiring people who value their way of life more than money, but let me give you the view from my farm in Atchison County: Developers, make me an offer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
You know a movie is adrift when you spend the running time admiring the grooming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
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
Emma felt they were friends again; and the conviction giving her at first great satisfaction, and then a little sauciness, she could not help saying, as he was admiring the baby,
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
