admire
verb (used with object)
to regard with wonder, pleasure, or approval.
were admiring
-
past progressiveof admire.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
It was not long ago that fans and pundits were admiring the power of the Premier League.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
Reviews were admiring, but not over the moon.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2022
The cast includes Winona Ryder and John Turturro, and early reviews were admiring.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2020
A minute later, they were admiring it in a three-way mirror.
From The New Yorker ● May 20, 2019
Sometimes they’d watch me spin with a kind of awe, and I almost thought they were admiring me, but their eyes were only on the gold.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
