admire
Americanverb (used with object)
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admires,
present (3rd person singular)
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admired,
past participle, past
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admiring
present participle
verb (used without object)
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admires,
present (3rd person singular)
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admired,
past participle, past
-
admiring
present participle
-
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:
He’s always off on tour, and I admire that about him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 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
There was still plenty to admire about Chelsea's performance.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 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
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 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
Teju said she supported Bukayo Saka - and his partner Tolami Benson, whose outfits she admires.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
Quiñones commented, “Journalism is stronger because of your voice, your courage and your story-telling, Cecilia,” and Ramos wrote in Spanish that he respects and admires her.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
“Oh, what a sweet house!—How very beautiful!—There are the yellow curtains that Miss Nash admires so much.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
“I grew up watching them and admired their work,” Eleazar says earlier in the day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Coltrane was a version of the resurrected black man, much like Malcolm X, a public figure he admired.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 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
Intriguingly, Arsenal have admired Chelsea striker Joao Pedro, who was deemed not for sale over the summer, although there were concerns over how he would fit into Arteta's system.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
As he admired the belt, strutting in front of the broken mirror, the sparrow spoke in a normal voice.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
"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
But take a step back and consider the finished garment with the grace it deserves, and chances are, you’ll find something worth admiring.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 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
Usually, there would be tourists admiring the view and vendors selling umbrellas or cold drinks.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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.
