be in awe of (someone or something)

be in awe of (someone or something)

To have a great amount of respect or admiration for someone, sometimes to the point of feeling nervous or fearful around them. Everyone in town was in awe of the movie star as he came through on his vacation. I've always been in awe of people who dedicate their lives to something like the military.See also: awe, of

in awe of, be

Also, stand in awe of. Respect and revere someone or something, experience a feeling of solemn wonder, as in All of us are in awe of his many achievements. This expression dates from about a.d. 1000 and originally meant "fear something or someone." Later awe came to mean "dread mingled with respect," and eventually it signified reverence alone. See also: awe

be/stand in ˈawe of somebody/something

admire somebody/something and be slightly afraid of them/it: While Diana was in awe of her grandfather, she adored her grandmother.See also: awe, of, somebody, something, stand