admire

verb ad·mire \ əd-ˈmī(-ə)r \

|Updated on: 27 May 2018

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Examples: admire in a Sentence

Definition of admire

admired; admiring

transitive verb

1 : to feel respect and approval for (someone or something) : to regard with admiration

They all admired her courage.

2 archaic : to marvel at

intransitive verb

dialect : to like very much

… I would admire to know why not …
—A. H. Lewis

—

admirer

noun

See admire defined for English-language learners

See admire defined for kids

Examples of admire in a Sentence

We gazed out the window and admired the scenery.
I admire the way you handled such a touchy situation.

Recent Examples of admire from the Web

The Blues board are said to admire Jokanović's achievements whilst working under a restrictive transfer budget, while still offering an attractive and free-flowing brand of football.

— SI.com, "Chelsea Eyeing Up Former Player as Blues Hierarchy Begin Planning For Life After Antonio Conte," 21 May 2018
Meghan, then, gives girls and young women a different kind of princess to admire.

— jill filipovic, Teen Vogue, "Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding Is Not Your Average Disney Princess Fantasy," 19 May 2018
Buy Photo Born in Conshohocken and raised in Phoenixville, Francis Bowe grew to admire the Catholic League’s elite boys’ basketball teams and top players.

— rick o'brien, Philly.com, "Francis Bowe named new Archbishop Carroll boys' basketball coach," 18 May 2018
Brother Reilly had given him a short tour of the public areas—the chapel, the guest parlor, the dining hall—and then escorted him to the front veranda, where the other postulants had gathered to admire the grounds.

— john l’heureux, The New Yorker, "The Long Black Line," 14 May 2018
The square is also scattered with sculptures, including a two-foot-tall bronze billy goat, to admire on a post-lunch stroll of your own.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "8 places to eat lunch outside in Center City," 3 May 2018
The updo, which was styled by Nakia Collins, is certainly one to admire: The ponytail was gathered tightly at the top of her head, with her curls tumbling down her back, almost like a cape (appropriate for a queen, of course).

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Beyoncé Wears Half-Up Ponytail at Golden State Warriors Basketball Game," 29 Apr. 2018
Each deserves to be savored, whether to admire the depiction of fabric in the portrait of a priest or to lose oneself in a screen’s orchestrated world.

— lee lawrence, WSJ, "‘A Giant Leap: The Transformation of Hasegawa Tohaku’ Review," 25 Apr. 2018
Now take a minute to admire David Sampson's witty photos of Chicago icons rendered in reefer.

— aimee levitt, Chicago Reader, "Archive Dive / News / The Reefer If you can't smoke weed right now, you might as well read about it," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'admire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of admire

borrowed from Middle French admirer, Latinization of amirer "to make (little or much) of," borrowed from Latin admīrārī, ammīrārī "to regard with wonder, show esteem for," from ad- ad- + mīrārī "to be surprised, look with wonder at," derivative of mīrus, "remarkable, amazing," of uncertain origin

Note: Regarding etymology of Latin mīrus see note at ¹smile.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

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