regretted; regretting
1
a
: to mourn the loss or death of
b
: to miss very much
2
: to be very sorry for
regrets his mistakes
: to experience regret
regretter
noun
1
: sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond one's control or power to repair
2
a
: an expression of distressing emotion (such as sorrow)
b
regrets plural
: a note politely declining an invitation
Synonyms
Examples of regret in a Sentence
Verb
Don't say anything you might regret later.
I deeply regret what I said.
She does not regret leaving him.
He regrets not traveling more when he was younger.
He says he doesn't regret anything that he's done in his life.
Noun
She has no regrets about leaving him.
My greatest regret is not going to college.
To my regret, I never visited Europe.
It is with deep regret that he is announcing his resignation.
My coworker gives her regrets for not being able to attend the meeting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Christian Holub, EW.com, 22 Apr. 2024
Gonzalez’s attorneys showed in court a video, from 2019, of top buyers from Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and others praising the designer’s creativity, productivity and humanity — comments prosecutor Watts-Fitzgerald said the retailers likely regret today.
—Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
The ghostwriter who regrets working for Donald Trump.
—The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
Gonzalez's attorneys showed in court a video, from 2019, of top buyers from Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and others praising the designer’s creativity, productivity and humanity — comments prosecutor Watts-Fitzgerald said the retailers likely regret today.
—Joshua Goodman, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
Nichols regrets disappointing his family who, for years, did not know about his addiction.
—The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024
About an hour into the family visit in the spring of 2022, Watkins regretted her decision.
—Ashley Okwuosa, The Examination; Amy Yurkanin, Al.com; John Diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
In other videos on the site, women have grappled with their own experiences, expressing everything from relief to regret.
—Emily Schmall, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Despite the ongoing economic woes in San Jose’s urban heart, Sed regrets her venture didn’t become a long-term success story in the city’s downtown.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
David Wysong, The Enquirer, 22 Apr. 2024
Online forums aside, there are almost no spaces where a parent can discuss regret.
—R. O. Kwon, TIME, 22 Apr. 2024
In the midst of the #MeToo movement, Amazon Studios ended its multimillion-dollar movie deal with Allen, and stars like Timothée Chalamet, Kate Winslet, Mira Sorvino, Colin Firth and Greta Gerwig publicly expressed regret at having worked with him.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Other viewers expressed regret for having had abortions.
—Emily Schmall, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Michael Douglas has no regrets about farting as a founding father.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Daniels, who photographed her in twenty-one films, had a keener grasp of that mystery than anyone else, though he was left with a specific regret.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
At 82, Martha Stewart is looking back on her life — including some of her regrets.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Jennifer Crumbley took the stand in her trial and blamed her husband, the school and her son for the shooting, while expressing no regret of her own.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Verb
The primary protagonist of Patriots is Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky (Michael Stuhlbarg), who played an important role in elevating Putin from no-name functionary of the security services to president-for-life — and lived to regret it.
—Christian Holub, EW.com, 22 Apr. 2024
Gonzalez’s attorneys showed in court a video, from 2019, of top buyers from Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and others praising the designer’s creativity, productivity and humanity — comments prosecutor Watts-Fitzgerald said the retailers likely regret today.
—Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
The ghostwriter who regrets working for Donald Trump.
—The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
Gonzalez's attorneys showed in court a video, from 2019, of top buyers from Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and others praising the designer’s creativity, productivity and humanity — comments prosecutor Watts-Fitzgerald said the retailers likely regret today.
—Joshua Goodman, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
Nichols regrets disappointing his family who, for years, did not know about his addiction.
—The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2024
About an hour into the family visit in the spring of 2022, Watkins regretted her decision.
—Ashley Okwuosa, The Examination; Amy Yurkanin, Al.com; John Diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
In other videos on the site, women have grappled with their own experiences, expressing everything from relief to regret.
—Emily Schmall, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Despite the ongoing economic woes in San Jose’s urban heart, Sed regrets her venture didn’t become a long-term success story in the city’s downtown.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
Noun
His no regrets attitude led to unforgettable TV moments and bits.
—David Wysong, The Enquirer, 22 Apr. 2024
Online forums aside, there are almost no spaces where a parent can discuss regret.
—R. O. Kwon, TIME, 22 Apr. 2024
In the midst of the #MeToo movement, Amazon Studios ended its multimillion-dollar movie deal with Allen, and stars like Timothée Chalamet, Kate Winslet, Mira Sorvino, Colin Firth and Greta Gerwig publicly expressed regret at having worked with him.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Other viewers expressed regret for having had abortions.
—Emily Schmall, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Michael Douglas has no regrets about farting as a founding father.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Daniels, who photographed her in twenty-one films, had a keener grasp of that mystery than anyone else, though he was left with a specific regret.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
At 82, Martha Stewart is looking back on her life — including some of her regrets.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Jennifer Crumbley took the stand in her trial and blamed her husband, the school and her son for the shooting, while expressing no regret of her own.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regret.' 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 regret
Cite this Entry
“Regret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regret. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
regret
1 of 2 verb
re·gret
ri-ˈgret 
regretted; regretting
1
a
: to mourn the loss or death of
b
: to miss very much
2
: to be keenly sorry for
3
: to experience regret
regret
2 of 2 noun1
: sorrow aroused by events beyond one's control
2
a
: an expression of sorrow or disappointment
b
plural
: a note politely turning down an invitation
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