admire
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
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:
"They admire the fact that it takes a bit of time and you're keeping a tradition alive."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Should I admire them greatly, or is there some underlying dynamic that reveals this all to be kind of pathetic?
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
He always represents Egypt in the best way, and this is something we all truly value and admire.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
And I greatly admire his dedication to maintaining his physical abilities throughout the years and his philanthropic pursuits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
I can’t help but admire the attention to detail, the expressiveness in their eyes.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
The obvious gem of the collection is the attention-getting title story, about the Canadian Nobel laureate Alice Munro, who died in 2024 — and whose complex, layered short fiction Aviv admires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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
Dressed in form-fitting suits with eye-catching colors, de la Espriella cuts the figure of one of the politicians he most openly admires: Nayib Bukele.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 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
She finishes the last braid and pats Ma’s head as she admires her handiwork.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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
“I admired their simplicity and generosity and thought of the pictures I made as agreements,” he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Both younger and older Emma are fiercely admired but close themselves off to love.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Ellsberg admired President Harry Truman’s response—a commitment to supporting democracies and containing Soviet influence from spreading further.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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
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
Even Americans who pay little attention to politics will probably never forget standing in Yosemite Valley and admiring a towering waterfall.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
“And here’s some admiring bits about the admiral: stern of jaw, broad of shoulder, never blinks at danger. Sounds like quite a chap.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
