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:
He’s always off on tour, and I admire that about him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
“I admire that they learned quickly and they didn’t need a gatekeeper,” Kelly says of the prodigies that have taken this year’s box office by storm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
“And I actually admire those types of people who can just keep pushing forward and shut the noise out and just keep going and striving towards a purpose while operating from a place of purpose.”
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
We should be hesitant to place halos around the heads of people we admire, just as we shouldn’t totally condemn those with whom we disagree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
I was holding up a pillow for both of us to admire, trying to find anything that would cause a few moments’ delay.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, the Cardiff-born presenter said he "admires" King Charles III in many ways, but said it was a "matter of choice".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
“Everyone’s impacted by the cost of living, and it gets us away from some of this divisive politics,” he said, citing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom Burnham admires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 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
The low-budget film stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette as a man who makes a sinister bargain to win the affections of the woman he admires -- and must bear the consequences.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
Claude understands that he ought to resent them, but he admires their competence and manners, the clean efficiency with which they move.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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
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
They watched Siobhan's pixies swiping self-twisting hair ribbons, charm-yarn, and emo-gems while Siobhan admired the starscopes and astrolabes.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
The documentary features admiring poets as well as Stephen Colbert, a huge Oliver fan, and the irreverent and colorful John Waters, a longtime friend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
He said it is a "really great honor to have my name listed after all those great mathematicians I've always been admiring".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
She stared down at the robot for a while, admiring her own handiwork.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
