Meaning & use
to cherish something
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Meanings
phrasetransitive
To love and care for someone or something very much, and to treat them as important.
Grammar: Takes an object: cherish your family. It is not used without an object.
Patterns
- cherish someone
- cherish something
- cherish the memory of something
She cherishes her grandmother and visits her every weekend.
He cherishes the old watch his father gave him.
They cherish their time together as a family.
phrasetransitive
To keep a hope, idea, or memory in your mind because it is important to you.
Grammar: Often used with abstract nouns like hope, dream, or memory.
Patterns
- cherish a hope
- cherish a dream
- cherish a memory
She still cherishes the hope that they will meet again.
He cherished the memory of his first trip abroad.
They cherish the dream of owning a small farm one day.
Common combinations
- cherish a memory
- I cherish the memory of our first dance.
- cherish the hope
- She cherishes the hope of becoming a doctor.
- deeply cherish
- He deeply cherishes his wife and children.
- cherish every moment
- After the accident, she began to cherish every moment with her family.
Synonyms and how they differ
- treasure
- Treasure is stronger and more emotional, often used for objects or memories you value highly; cherish is more about caring for people or hopes.
- value
- Value means you think something is important, but it does not always carry the warm, loving feeling that cherish does.
- adore
- Adore means you love someone very much, often with a sense of worship; cherish focuses on caring and protecting.
Opposites
Word family
- cherished adjective
- Loved and valued very much: a cherished friend.
- cherishing noun
- The act of loving and caring for someone or something (rare).
Commonly confused: to cherish something or cherry?
to cherish something vs cherry
Cherry is a small red fruit; cherish is a verb meaning to love and care for. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cherish' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Cherish' is a transitive verb, so it needs a direct object: 'She cherishes her old photos.' The other options use unnecessary prepositions ('to', 'with', 'for') that do not fit the verb's grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to cherish something”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.