Meaning & use
adore
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To love someone very deeply and admire them greatly.
Grammar: Takes an object: she adores her grandson.
Patterns
- adore someone
She adores her little brother.
The fans adore the singer.
He adored his wife for forty years.
verbtransitiveinformal
To like something very much.
Grammar: Can be followed by a noun or -ing form: I adore swimming.
Patterns
- adore something
- adore doing something
I adore this song.
My cat adores sleeping on warm laundry.
They adore chocolate cake.
verbtransitivereligionformal
To worship a god or sacred being.
Grammar: Takes an object: adore God.
Patterns
- adore someone
The pilgrims knelt to adore the saint.
In the carol, shepherds come to adore the child.
Word forms
| third person singular | adores |
|---|---|
| past tense | adored |
| past participle | adored |
| -ing form | adoring |
Common combinations
- absolutely adore
- I absolutely adore her new book.
- simply adore
- We simply adore the beach.
- adore each other
- The couple adore each other.
- adoring fans
- Adoring fans waited outside.
Synonyms and how they differ
- love
- Love is more general and less intense than adore.
- cherish
- Cherish suggests holding something dear and caring for it.
- worship
- Worship is religious, or an exaggerated devotion.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: adore or adorn?
adore vs adorn
Adorn means to decorate.
Practice
Which meaning of adore fits: I adore your new haircut?
Choose one answer.
In casual speech, adore means like very much. Worship is a religious sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “adore”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.