apologized

verb

past tense of apologize
as in confessed
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 apologized Tebas and Mbappé, who apologized in three different languages, are just the latest. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026 Simmons, who later apologized, has yet to play a down this season. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026 Real Madrid apologized later on Wednesday, joining Mbappé in expressing regret over the player’s remarks and reiterating its respect for the Chinese people. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 Utah removed the video and apologized, while ESPN defended McAfee’s safety concerns; online reaction largely mocked his response. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 Tennis player Taylor Townsend apologized to China last year after criticizing food served during the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 After receiving a call from Albanese, OpenAI’s Sam Altman apologized and vowed to win back Australians’ trust. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 Hours earlier, the 77-year-old wrestling Hall of Famer apologized on social media site X for canceling a weekend appearance at the Washington State Horror Con in Puyallup. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026 Ukraine's Foreign Ministry apologized on Sunday after a drone entered Lithuania's airspace, prompting authorities to issue an air raid warning. — Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apologized
  1. confessed
  2. excused
  3. explained
  4. justified
Verb
  • Bundy had confessed to Aime’s death before his death, without providing any details, according to the Associated Press.
    — Hannah Sampson, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Davis confessed to taking mushrooms, grabbing a gun, and shooting at random people in South Beach.
    — Anna McAllister, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of confessed
Verb
  • Or targeted other relatives to be hosts, with the precedent of your sister-in-law’s apparently being excused entirely on those grounds.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But my mother’s brother conveniently excused himself to the bathroom, while my aunt and other uncle turned to talk to each other.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of excused
Verb
  • As i4cp research analyst Katheryn Brekken explained, employees who know they’re being monitored may resort to performative behaviors, such as jiggling their mouse to appear active, rather than focusing on meaningful work.
    — Adithyan RK, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Wade explained his initial defense of the statue in an essay posted to his Substack on Friday.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of explained
Verb
  • The song delivered on the hype produced by The X Factor, and justified the screams that One Direction had already invited with their performances of cover songs.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Investors are worried about whether their high prices are justified.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of justified

Browse Nearby Words

apologize
apologized
apologizes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apologized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologized. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All