appreciate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
appreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
appreciated,
past participle, past
-
appreciating
present participle
-
to be grateful or thankful for.
They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
-
to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on.
to appreciate good wine.
-
to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect.
to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
-
to raise in value.
verb (used without object)
-
appreciates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
appreciated,
past participle, past
-
appreciating
present participle
verb
-
to feel thankful or grateful for
to appreciate a favour
-
(may take a clause as object) to take full or sufficient account of
to appreciate a problem
-
to value highly
to appreciate Shakespeare
-
(usually intr) to raise or increase in value
Usage
What are other ways to say appreciate? To appreciate something is to value or regard it highly. How is appreciate different from esteem, value, and prize? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
appreciatesimple
-
appreciatessimple
-
have appreciatedperfect
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has appreciatedperfect
-
am appreciatingprogressive
-
are appreciatingprogressive
-
is appreciatingprogressive
-
have been appreciatingperfect progressive
-
has been appreciatingperfect progressive
Past
-
appreciatedsimple
-
had appreciatedperfect
-
was appreciatingprogressive
-
were appreciatingprogressive
-
had been appreciatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of appreciate
First recorded in 1645–55; from Medieval Latin appreciātus “valued, appraised,” from Late Latin appretiātus, past participle of appretiāre “to appraise” (equivalent to Latin ap- ap- 1 + preti(um) price + -ātus -ate 1 )
Explanation
If you appreciate something, you recognize its value. We can all appreciate how refreshing cold lemonade is on a sweltering summer day. The oldest meaning of appreciate is "to know the worth of something": "The parolee appreciated his newfound freedom." A related sense is "to be grateful for something," but this usage can sound wordy. Instead of "I would appreciate your sending me more information," consider: "Please send me more information." The word can also be used (without a direct object) to mean "to rise in worth": "The vintage Corvette would appreciate in value over the years."
Vocabulary lists containing appreciate
List 4
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"Icarus's Flight," Vocabulary from the poem
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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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:
“He’s somebody we all respect and appreciate and have love for,” Lindor said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
He then secured a position at Canterbury, where he honed his skills at cutting stone and came to appreciate the grand tradition of which he was now a part.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The club captain will appreciate more than most what a special night this was for Bournemouth.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Is it even a safe time to put so much stock in such a long-term asset that, yes, may appreciate — but who knows if we’ll reach that time where it may appreciate?” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
“That’s a lovely plan. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
“The President appreciates all he is doing to advance American interests in the Arctic.”
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
Ms. Southon rightly appreciates that manumission was a tool of slave-owners’ power, but she excessively minimizes how common it was.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
He acknowledges that there are some well-established societal downsides to overuse of Meta’s social-media, especially among young people, but he appreciates “at least there’s no cloud in their revenue.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
He appreciates the scope of projects he’s done so far, from the massive scale of production on “House of the Dragon” to smaller art house films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
It’s true, and I can tell he appreciates that I’ve noticed what others overlook—just like him.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Feeling like your generosity is not being reciprocated or even appreciated is frustrating.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Like bursts of bright color, the scenes of this original novel must be appreciated in the moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: Industrious performance in the middle of the pitch went unrewarded in terms of result but would have been appreciated by boss David Moyes.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Reflecting on the show's longevity, Beck said he thought audiences enjoyed Casualty as they appreciated the NHS.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Were SpaghettiOs still her favorite food, or were they nasty, wormy-looking globs of starch in watery sauce that could be appreciated only for being cheap?
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The tell-like-it-is prose of Swanson is refreshing and appreciating to read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
She said the scale, height, and mass of the new ballroom would impair her aesthetic, cultural, and historical interests in viewing and appreciating the White House.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Just look at her on that camel, she was having a blast and still appreciating good food.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
"I'm appreciating more that I'm here, I can play, I don't have these big issues that I had in the past," said Muchova.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
She pulled the necklace that Lena had given her out from under the dress fabric, appreciating the smooth weight of the key.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
