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:
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
“We’re both fiery, fiery competitors and we want to win and it’s one of the things I really admire about her game,” Clark told the Associated Press in an interview published Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Once while scrolling, she stopped to admire pictures of a garden on her feed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Rarely do we stop to admire vultures through binoculars or photograph in awe.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Ruby told me how much you admire Chinese art.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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 him, but there is a quiet stubbornness in how he frames his own ambition.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 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
Buffett admires him, and Cook could bring stature and tech savvy to a company that isn’t a leader in employing technology.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
We walk to the edge of the pond and he admires it.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Actor Luke Evans said he has survived Hollywood by "watching and listening" to actors he admired.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
On that day and in the immediate aftermath, Americans and those who admired America spoke about what made our country good: Our constitutionally protected and culturally lauded freedoms, including of speech, religion, and the press.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
They admired one another from afar, brushed shoulders only in passing, and, in some ways, represented opposing ways of challenging the limits placed on women in indie rock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Bradley Tusk, a venture capitalist and campaign manager for Bloomberg’s third-term mayoral run, said he admired Mastro’s moxie, even though the lawyer had several legal tussles with his former boss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
He chatted with reporters and admired displays of goods manufactured in communist countries.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
"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
The very thing that made their creative work possible – a large, mostly admiring audience – was also its biggest threat.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Mr. Ackroyd is admiring of Auden’s poetic accomplishment, from his recondite early work to the later, more conversational and religiously inspired verses that some critics have disliked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
You know a movie is adrift when you spend the running time admiring the grooming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Bobby had triggered similar reactions at other tournaments and matches; fans often wrote him admiring letters.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
