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
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
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
Miss Mortimer stood back to admire the rearranged gallery of Ashton ancestors.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
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
Teju said she supported Bukayo Saka - and his partner Tolami Benson, whose outfits she admires.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
Plus, Hodin, 37, a freelance writer who chronicled her “groomzilla” experience for Vogue, admires his gold-plated tastes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
We walk to the edge of the pond and he admires it.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
“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
Even people who don’t watch football have probably admired Saquon Barkley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Taylor admitted his mum was "rather alarmed" by their performance but she admired Freddie's courtesy and style.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he admired Coxon’s courage but questioned his claims about the future and condemned predictions of armageddon as irresponsible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Elizabeth’s mind was too full for conversation, but she saw and admired every remarkable spot and point of view.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
"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
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
“This is so cool,” said Fred, admiring his ride.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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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.
