idolize
verb
idol·ize
ˈī-də-ˌlīz 
idolized; idolizing
: to worship as a god
broadly
: to love or admire to excess
the common people whom he so idolized —
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)
: to practice idolatry
Examples of idolize in a Sentence
an actor who is idolized by millions
she blindly idolized her older sister, refusing to acknowledge any of her faults
Recent Examples on the Web
Lopakhin and Varya are pushed together throughout the play, but poor Varya, also born working class, will never be able to break through the part of Lopakhin that still idolizes the very nobility that oppressed his family for generations.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Green’s lawyer, John Burke, highlighted how abuse and instability in his childhood led him to idolize gang members and join a gang as a young teenager.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
In particular, Spencer idolized Asian American figure skaters such as Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou, as well as Maxim Naumov, whose parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were coaches at the Skating Club of Boston and also died in the plane crash.
—Emilie Ikeda, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025
Seeking escape, Hackman found solace in movie theaters, idolizing Errol Flynn and James Cagney.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idolize
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Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Green’s lawyer, John Burke, highlighted how abuse and instability in his childhood led him to idolize gang members and join a gang as a young teenager.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2025
In particular, Spencer idolized Asian American figure skaters such as Nathan Chen and Vincent Zhou, as well as Maxim Naumov, whose parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, were coaches at the Skating Club of Boston and also died in the plane crash.
—Emilie Ikeda, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025
Seeking escape, Hackman found solace in movie theaters, idolizing Errol Flynn and James Cagney.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for idolize
Cite this Entry
“Idolize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idolize. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
idolize
verb
idol·ize
ˈīd-ᵊl-ˌīz
idolized; idolizing
: to worship as an idol : love or admire too much
idolization
noun
ˌīd-ᵊl-ə-ˈzā-shən
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