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:
Debra Matlock, who runs the Los Feliz Improvement Assn., said Raman’s office responds quickly to problems in the community but lacks the kind of warm bedside manner that politicians use to endear themselves with constituents.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
This marketing strategy naturally didn’t endear him to others in his industry, since it implied that they were moving too fast and in the process breaking things.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 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
As one can imagine, this does nothing to endear Carol to Laxmi.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025
But there was one way in which he could both make some money and endear himself to the top people in the Graz community—by casting horoscopes.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Wearing her heart on her sleeve is one of the things that endears Sabalenka to her fans.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 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
Leo has a way with words, a flair for language that endears him to Nancy, a retired high school teacher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2022
She possessed, as will be seen presently, that British cocksureness which so endears us to foreigners.
From The Soul of Susan Yellam by Horace Annesley Vachell
Kane's desire to learn and improve endeared him to the Tottenham academy staff and he signed scholarship terms with the club on his 16th birthday in July 2009.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Her refusal to de-emphasize her Tennessee accent or downplay her assets endeared her to a wide audience, along with her unsinkable pride in her country roots.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 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 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
They’re all, like, beautiful people, but they are dorks, which I find really endearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
In “Death of an Ordinary Man,” Ms. Perry offers an endearing and achingly real portrait of her father-in-law: his set ways, gentle pleasures, sweet tooth and general contentment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Nighy, 76, known for films including Love Actually, Living and the Underworld franchise, has now found success with what award organisers called his "irresistibly endearing series" Ill-Advised.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Viewers found this endearing, speculating that the robot was “bashful” or suffering from social anxiety.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
There was something sad yet endearing about the image.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
