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
The Times also identified social media accounts believed to be used by one of the shooters that idolized school shootings, the white nationalism movement and neo-Nazi terrorism and were flush with memes from the online far-right extremist community.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
One fun discovery in Avedon’s extensive and dazzling archive was a portrait of director John Ford, whom Howard grew up idolizing.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 20 May 2026
Merchant had long idolized Patti Smith.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
Born in 2010, Krishna was behind the scenes for a lot of the series, even idolizing Kelly Clarkson when the singer made an appearance during season 17.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idolize
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Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
One fun discovery in Avedon’s extensive and dazzling archive was a portrait of director John Ford, whom Howard grew up idolizing.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 20 May 2026
Merchant had long idolized Patti Smith.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
Born in 2010, Krishna was behind the scenes for a lot of the series, even idolizing Kelly Clarkson when the singer made an appearance during season 17.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for idolize
Cite this Entry
“Idolize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idolize. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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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