apologize
verb
Did you know?
Does apologize always mean "to say 'I'm sorry'"?
The verb apologize is a surprisingly recent introduction to the English language when one stops to consider that we have likely been committing deeds which require an apology since time immemorial. Our earliest current record of use comes at the end of the 16th century, in the writing of Thomas Nash:
”….but as the Elephant and the Rinoceros neuer fight but about the best pastures, so will I winne from him his best Patrons, and driue him to confesse himselfe a Conundrum, who now thinks he hath learning inough to proue the saluation of Lucifer; Apologize it for him as many Chutes, Barnesses, or vile riggers, or Fregeuiles as there will.”
The earliest uses of apologize more often meant “to offer an excuse or defense” than “to acknowledge a fault.” The verb came into our language from the noun apology, which similarly had an initial meaning (beginning in the early 16th century) that did not necessarily acknowledge fault (“something said or written in defense or justification of what appears to others to be wrong or of what may be liable to disapprobation”).
Examples of apologize in a Sentence
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Two days later, Cannon apologized on X, formerly Twitter.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
The team had previously apologized to fans who had bought tickets for the semifinal against Moy Tolka Rovers which should have been played on March 30.
CNN has also reached out to Basketball Ireland and FIBA for comment.
—Ben Church, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Gosling gave Ken’s prized guitar to Jimin to apologize.
—Mark Kennedy, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Chapman later apologized to two sergeants, records say.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024
But the star of the 12-season running HBO show then apologized to Elmo; the Muppet quickly accepted his seemingly sincere expression of regret.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
The city of Greenville’s public utility apologized Saturday for a widespread outage whose cause remained a mystery hours after power was restored.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 Mar. 2024
Mizuhara apologized to the team after the Dodgers’ game in Seoul Wednesday, according to ESPN, citing an unnamed Dodgers official.
—Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'apologize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near apologize
Cite this Entry
“Apologize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apologize. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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apologize
verb
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