Meaning & use
cherish
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To love someone or something deeply and treat them with great care.
Grammar: Takes an object: cherish a friendship.
Patterns
- cherish someone
- cherish something
She cherishes her grandmother's old ring.
We cherish the time we spend together.
He cherished his friends and never took them for granted.
verbtransitiveliterary
To keep a hope, memory or belief alive in your mind.
Grammar: Often takes nouns like hope or memory.
Patterns
- cherish a hope
- cherish a memory
He still cherished the hope of studying abroad.
They cherish the memory of their first home.
She cherished the dream of becoming a pilot.
Word forms
| third person singular | cherishes |
|---|---|
| past tense | cherished |
| past participle | cherished |
| -ing form | cherishing |
Common combinations
- cherish a memory
- I will always cherish the memory of that summer.
- cherish a friendship
- They cherish a friendship that began in school.
- cherished possession
- The old watch is his most cherished possession.
- cherish every moment
- Parents are told to cherish every moment with young children.
- deeply cherish
- I deeply cherish your support.
Synonyms and how they differ
- treasure
- Treasure stresses how valuable something is to you, and is often used for objects.
- value
- Value is more neutral and does not necessarily imply affection.
- adore
- Adore is about strong love or admiration rather than careful protection.
- prize
- Prize emphasizes being proud of having something special.
Opposites
Word family
- cherished adjective
- deeply loved and cared for
- cherisher noun
- a person who cherishes
- cherishing noun
- the act of valuing deeply
Commonly confused: cherish or cherry?
cherish vs cherry
A cherry is a fruit. The word cherish is unrelated to it despite the spelling.
Practice
Which sentence uses cherish most naturally?
Choose one answer.
Cherish needs something loved and cared for, like letters from a father. The others pair it with things people rarely cherish or use the wrong grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cherish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.