adore

verb

ə-ˈdȯr How to pronounce adore (audio)
adored; adoring
Synonyms of adore

transitive verb

1
: to worship or honor as a deity or as divine
2
: to regard with loving admiration and devotion
He adored his wife.
3
: to be very fond of
adores pecan pie
adorer noun

Synonyms of adore

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revere, reverence, venerate, worship, adore mean to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully.

revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

reverence presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring.

reverenced the academy's code of honor

venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

Examples of adore in a Sentence

He's a good doctor. All his patients adore him. They adored shopping in all the boutiques.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jet Fans of the New York Jets will adore this slick moniker for a tiny tyke. — Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026 Market on Close The analyst corps that covers Nvidia is mostly adoring. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 In front of adoring fans in Shanghai, the UFC veteran and perennial contender in the UFC bantamweight division scored a shocking upset win over Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event on Saturday. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 With its close proximity to many athletic venues, sports-lovers will adore this spot. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adore

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aouren, adouren, borrowed from Anglo-French aurer, ahourer, adourer (with d restored from Latin), going back to Latin adōrāre "to plead with, appeal to, approach (a god) as a suppliant or worshipper, treat with reverence, admire," from ad- ad- + ōrāre "to pray to, beseech" — more at oration

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of adore was in the 14th century

Rhymes for adore

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Browse Nearby Words

adorbs
adore
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Cite this Entry

“Adore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adore. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

adore

verb
ə-ˈdō(ə)r How to pronounce adore (audio)
-ˈdȯ(ə)r
adored; adoring
1
: worship entry 2 sense 1
adore God
2
: to be very fond of
adoration
ˌad-ə-ˈrā-shən
noun
adorer
ə-ˈdōr-ər, 
-ˈdȯr-
noun
Etymology

from early French adourer "to adore," from Latin adorare (same meaning), from ad- "to" and orare "to speak, pray" — related to oracle, oration

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