appreciate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to be grateful or thankful for.
They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
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to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on.
to appreciate good wine.
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to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect.
to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
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to raise in value.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to feel thankful or grateful for
to appreciate a favour
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(may take a clause as object) to take full or sufficient account of
to appreciate a problem
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to value highly
to appreciate Shakespeare
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(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
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appreciatesimple
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appreciatessimple
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have appreciatedperfect
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has appreciatedperfect
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am appreciatingprogressive
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are appreciatingprogressive
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is appreciatingprogressive
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have been appreciatingperfect progressive
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has been appreciatingperfect progressive
Past
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appreciatedsimple
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had appreciatedperfect
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was appreciatingprogressive
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were appreciatingprogressive
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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:
Quaresma says this process helped them appreciate one another's strengths in a new way.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
“I appreciate him saying that there’s some soreness to then allow me to make a decision of what is in his best interest, and that’s what we’re doing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Science can explain the world around us, but magic helps us appreciate the wonder in the atomic arrangement of nature, chance meetings with open-hearted souls and kindness without expectation of anything in return.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
To understand how a court talks itself into that, you have to appreciate how little law there is to stop it.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for us,” Mamá said, her eyes misting over again, as she stood just inside our fenced yard, shaking Special Agent Gonzales’s hand.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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
Laura Marnas, who has explored every inch of town as director of the St. Tropez office for the Magrey & Sons real estate agency, appreciates its “bohemian-chic ambience away from the hustle and bustle.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
"Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital," his spokesman said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Veteran Jessica Pegula, 32, the top-ranked American who also toiled away on the sport’s lower tier before becoming a top-10 mainstay, appreciates Liu’s resolve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
“We’ve beaten everyone in Turkey who’ll fight us and athletics began in Greece. No one appreciates talent like the Greeks.”
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Cumulatively over the last four decades, the CPI-E has appreciated at only a slightly faster pace than the CPI-W — by just 0.21% annualized.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Kent appreciated the call, considering it “pretty cool.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Stodden told the Hollywood Reporter she "appreciated" Alexander's apology.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
"It is obvious that Ms Ghost, a 49 year old woman, should have appreciated the inappropriateness of her conduct regardless of whether there was any sexual motivation or conduct," the judgement read.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Among them were several British intelligence officers who appreciated the Friedmans’ warm welcome and friendly wit.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
As with all players, getting the best from them means appreciating the wider role they are capable of.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Here are Neill’s highlights, all worth rewatching for the sake of better appreciating a sophisticated presence often on the sidelines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 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
An appreciating greenback is widely viewed as a headwind to demand for dollar-denominated commodities, as it makes them more expensive to buyers using other currencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Children are capable of appreciating beauty in art, music, language, and movement.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
