apologize

verb

Definition of apologizenext
as in to confess
to express regret for doing or saying something wrong I want to apologize to you for my rude behavior yesterday. We apologize for the mistake and promise that it won't happen again.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of apologize Gibson refused to apologize when GLAAD criticized him for behavior some found to be a homophobic in the 1990s. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026 Mel Gibson apologized Monday after video surfaced showing the actor mocking a sign language interpreter. — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Everyone in Los Angeles apologized to me about the weather, which was warm, breezy, and ever so slightly overcast—in short, perfect. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 During his own censure item, Saunders apologized to his fellow city council members, city residents, county residents, and Kennell for his comments last month. — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for apologize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apologize
  1. confess
  2. excuse
  3. explain
  4. justify
Verb
  • Zeller confessed he was inspired to write the screenplay after reading an article about Meta tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg building an underground bunker in Hawaii.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • On the September 4 episode of Jeff Lewis Live, the Housewife confessed she’s been dating Traitors winner Tamburello for a little while.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of confess
Verb
  • The appeal asked that the court either excuse the juror who was allegedly refusing to follow instructions or inquire further to determine whether the juror could in fact follow the judge's instructions to correctly apply the law.
    — Carmel Wroth, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The jury requested to be excused for the day hours after telling Judge William Sullivan that it was deadlocked and could not reach a unanimous decision.
    — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of excuse
Verb
  • Which may explain the conversion of 80 Horatio, a pre-law five-story brick tenement building in a prime pocket of the neighborhood, into a single-family house.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Hurts, later explaining his reaction, said that earlier in the practice period, Moore had stopped in the middle of the route, which resulted in an interception.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Long-term resource potential Technical performance alone cannot justify a project; economic balance governs actual field deployment.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The prosecution and defense both gave closing arguments Tuesday during the second preliminary hearing since July, which is a limited purpose proceeding held for a judge to determine whether the charges are justified.
    — Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of justify

Browse Nearby Words

apologies
apologize
apologized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apologize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologize. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All