endear
Americanverb (used with object)
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endears,
present (3rd person singular)
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endeared,
past participle, past
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endearing
present participle
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to make dear, esteemed, or beloved.
He endeared himself to his friends with his gentle ways.
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Obsolete. to make costly.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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endearsimple
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endearssimple
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have endearedperfect
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has endearedperfect
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am endearingprogressive
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are endearingprogressive
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is endearingprogressive
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have been endearingperfect progressive
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has been endearingperfect progressive
Past
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endearedsimple
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had endearedperfect
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was endearingprogressive
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were endearingprogressive
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had been endearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of endear
Explanation
Things that endear you to others — like your sense of humor or your skill at baking chocolate chip cookies — cause them to be fond of you. The verb endear is almost always followed by the word "to," as in the sentence "The teacher's ready smile and gentle voice endear him to the class of kindergartners." When something endears you to another person, he or she adores you. In the 1500s, endear meant "increase the value of," though it quickly came to mean "make dear," or perhaps to increase the emotional value, especially of another person.
Vocabulary lists containing endear
Grade 10, List 5
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Born a Crime
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It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime
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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:
Closer to home, securing a deal in Venezuela would endear Exxon to President Trump, who is pushing for U.S. energy companies to invest $100 billion to repair the country’s dilapidated oil-and-gas infrastructure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Known for quotable one-liners and clever quips, Parton has long leveraged witticisms to endear herself to many — including the media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
One surefire way to endear yourself to your favorite eatery is to evangelize for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026
As one can imagine, this does nothing to endear Carol to Laxmi.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025
Unsurprisingly, the Battle of Bataan does little to endear Filipinos to their occupiers.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
He’s staying clean and projecting a quirky charm that endears him to others — initially, at least.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
The hothead look isn’t necessarily a good one - though Sirianni endears himself to Eagles fans when he barks at visiting fans.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 26, 2023
What endears you to me is your response to those people.
From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2023
This should not mask the special talent Richarlison possesses, bolted on to an insatiable desire for hard work and goals that endears him to his managers, team-mates and supporters.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2022
It is not something which lasts only when each looks into the other's eyes; for "distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it."
From With God in the World A Series of Papers by Charles H. Brent
Obama endeared himself to voters, especially younger ones, by coming off as the cool college professor who manages to sound erudite without being condescending.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
That lighthearted attitude is what endeared Wallace to Randolph before the teen even joined the team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Years later, she endeared herself to the public when she appeared in 2010 on the BBC's "Strictly Come Dancing" show where celebrities with no dance experience are paired with a professional partner.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The fact that they were subsequently stripped of that African Nations title for staging an illegal 17-minute walk-off to protest an officiating decision has only endeared them to me further.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me; when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathised in their joys.
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
Hannah Gao, an intern at OpenAI, finds the constant use of “hill-climbing” among co-workers and friends endearing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The head of the AMC cinema chain, Adam Aron, posted on X and then deleted a message describing the couple's vows as "long, entertaining, personal, charming, emotional, irreverent and endearing."
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Their wide-eyed optimism and curiosity is endearing and even motivating.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
He sat for a warmly endearing Q&A with actor Luke Wilson and director James L. Brooks, an early champion who executive-produced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Juliet scowled—something else that the local louts found very endearing.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
