admire
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to feel or express admiration.
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Dialect. to take pleasure; like or desire.
I would admire to go.
idioms
verb
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to regard with esteem, respect, approval, or pleased surprise
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archaic to wonder at
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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admirernoun
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quasi-admireverb
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preadmireverb (used with object)
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admiringadjective
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unadmiredadjective
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admiringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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admiresimple
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admiressimple
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have admiredperfect
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has admiredperfect
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am admiringprogressive
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are admiringprogressive
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is admiringprogressive
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have been admiringperfect progressive
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has been admiringperfect progressive
Past
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admiredsimple
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had admiredperfect
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was admiringprogressive
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were admiringprogressive
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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"
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"A Natural Balance" and "In My Dreams"
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Lyrics from "American Pie" by Don McLean
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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:
It's so stupid and basic, and yet it scratches a tried-and-tested musical itch with such precision that you have to admire its audacity.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Italian giants Juventus and Serie A champions Inter are interested in Stones - the latter also admire Spence - while Leeds United want to keep the Yorkshire-born defender in the Premier League.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
“I’ve come to admire artists who are willing to go in deep inside their most personal thoughts for the sake of helping the listener understand their own lives,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Those are timeless qualities I admire, and they are exactly what U.S. Soccer needed at this moment.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 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
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
Plus, Hodin, 37, a freelance writer who chronicled her “groomzilla” experience for Vogue, admires his gold-plated tastes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 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
“You give it to him, he admires it, then he gives it away,” says Pedro Leyva.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
It said: "Much loved by visitors, the painting reflects the emotion, colour and distinctive character that made Sinnott's work so widely admired."
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
PSG have been a club Diomande admired as a kid, with his dad being a supporter of the 14-time French champions.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The story behind Sabato Rodia’s obsession to create what remains one of L.A.’s most admired and least understood landmarks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Both younger and older Emma are fiercely admired but close themselves off to love.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
All loved him for his goodness and admired him for his nobility, but they had no idea that he intended to try to kill the Minotaur.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
You know a movie is adrift when you spend the running time admiring the grooming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
My colleague Alex Kirshner wrote about @FreddyLA7, a German X user visiting the U.S. for the tournament whose admiring, travelogue-style posts about Taco Bell, state parks, and other Americana are going viral.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
"I wanted to see what the mystery was about," said Nick Frey, a 28-year-old US tourist admiring the fortress.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Later that night, Peter said to me, I've got a surprise for you. And I saw you admiring this pendant and gave me it."
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
She turned her arm around, admiring the word.
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
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.
