repent

verb re·pent \ ri-ˈpent \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Examples: repent in a Sentence

repented; repenting; repents

intransitive verb

1 : to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life

2 a : to feel regret or contrition

b : to change one's mind

transitive verb

1 : to cause to feel regret or contrition

2 : to feel sorrow, regret, or contrition for

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repenter

noun

See repent defined for English-language learners

See repent defined for kids

Examples of repent in a Sentence

The preacher told us that we would be forgiven for our sins if we repented.
criminals who have repented for their crimes
The preacher told us that we would be forgiven if we repented our sins.

Recent Examples of repent from the Web

Eden’s storyline culminates in this incredibly tragic ending, where her affair with Isaac is discovered and she’s executed for refusing to repent.

— emma dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Max Minghella Talks Playing the Only Good Man in Gilead on The Handmaid's Tale," 5 July 2018
Why the Red Carpet Is Important in the #MeToo Era This book reminds me of an Old Testament prophet, crying that the system is completely corrupt, everyone is complicit, and everyone needs to repent.

— belinda luscombe, Time, "Rose McGowan on Her 'Brave' New Book and Surviving the 'Cult of Hollywood'," 1 Feb. 2018
But Koresh refused to repent of his teachings, said Pace, who was leading a small house church in Gadsden, Ala., at the time of the 1993 standoff.

— bobby ross jr., USA TODAY, "Cult leader? ‘Sinful Messiah’? 25 years after Waco, interest in David Koresh still strong," 16 Apr. 2018
Sam Ranier, a pastor in Florida who plans on attending the convention, said people should start to move forward by repenting themselves.

— sarah smith, star-telegram, "Prayers and protests: Welcome to the Southern Baptists' meeting in a #MeToo world," 11 June 2018
Since Trump’s upset victory, artists haven’t exactly felt the need to undertake an apology tour to repent of their outspokenness.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Can Protest Art Get Its Mojo Back?," 7 May 2018
But Koresh refused to repent of his teachings, said Pace, who was leading a small house church in Gadsden, Ala., at the time of the 1993 standoff.

— bobby ross jr., USA TODAY, "Cult leader? ‘Sinful Messiah’? 25 years after Waco, interest in David Koresh still strong," 16 Apr. 2018
But Koresh refused to repent of his teachings, said Pace, who was leading a small house church in Gadsden, Ala., at the time of the 1993 standoff.

— bobby ross jr., Houston Chronicle, "Cult leader? ‘Sinful Messiah’? 25 years later, interest in David Koresh still strong," 22 Apr. 2018
In its latest effort to repent, Facebook is turning to a Harvard professor to help study how the company is influencing elections worldwide.

— hiawatha bray, BostonGlobe.com, "Tax reform impacts everybody differently. Here’s how it will impact you," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'repent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of repent

Middle English, from Anglo-French repentir, from Medieval Latin repoenitēre, from Latin re- + Late Latin poenitēre to feel regret, alteration of Latin paenitēre — more at penitent

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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