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
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appreciatessimple
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have appreciatedperfect
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has appreciatedperfect
-
am appreciatingprogressive
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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:
Kids will have to grow up rewatching “Coyote” to fully appreciate it and I’m not confident they will.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"We acknowledge the commitment of our employees and appreciate the efforts of our negotiating teams in reaching this tentative agreement," a Hyundai spokesman told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
I would very much appreciate any suggestions you have.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Asking that means I’m overthinking it, which is the opposite of what it takes to appreciate this . . . whatever this is.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
“Not everyone,” the girl observed in the same detached drawl, “seems to appreciate the accommodations at the bunkers.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Chandler’s the type of actor who still appreciates being sent physical copies of scripts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
He clearly appreciates the value of a fearsome antagonist, though he somewhat overstates the threat Stalin personally posed to Emanuel after the revolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 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
She does not seek to blame others but appreciates she lacked life skills around money and budgeting, which could have been taught at school and by family.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
It's almost like he's enjoying the design of me, the same way he appreciates the interlaced ballerinas.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
A freelancer by day, I’d appreciated teaching’s miraculous equation: I did my job, they paid me the first of every month.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
While some young users appreciated the outreach, many were still sceptical about its timing.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
"It's well appreciated that different intensities of exercise stimulate distinct body-wide adaptations," notes Luke Olsen, the postdoctoral fellow who conducted the studies.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
It’s not that he wouldn’t have appreciated or been ready for it in his youth, he says, but he has seen the pitfalls of success that happens too young.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
What lay ahead most immediately were good-byes—dozens and dozens of them, all emotional, as the staff we loved and appreciated so much would begin to rotate out of the White House.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
“If they want to get ahead, invest in an appreciating asset, and the best one is themselves — their career, training, skill set, connections and ability to be flexible.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Hopkins said he is becoming more at peace with slowing down his hectic acting career, and of appreciating the time he’s been given.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Grant says the two groups have been appreciating different things about the sessions, which are being run on a time-limited basis by the City of London Guides Lecturers Association.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Analysts consider higher gasoline prices a headwind for low- and middle-income consumers, but note that other car buyers in the US have benefited from stock markets records and appreciating home prices.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” I said again, not appreciating yet how keenly this man took his responsibilities.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
