lionize

Verb

Verb Forms: lionized, lionizing, lionizes

• To treat or regard as a celebrity, often with great praise.
• assign great social importance to
  • "The tenor was lionized in Vienna"
• To treat (a person) as if they were important, or a celebrity.
• To visit (a famous place) in order to revere it.

Examples

• We lionize players who can find a seven-letter word using only common letters.

Synonyms

celebrate, lionise