as in confessing
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.
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Recent Examples of apologizing
The show helps young viewers learn social skills like sharing, apologizing, and managing big feelings.
—
Kara Nesvig, Parents, 22 Jan. 2026
The moment comes when Fields stops, apologizing to her tribemates through tears.
—David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Still someone soon stepped on a part of it, apologizing profusely.
—Lindsey Bahr, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Poppy initially hesitates but ends up apologizing to Sarah, admitting that her deep connection with Alex had gotten in the way of her relationship.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
Hilton and local operators of the Hampton Inn Lakeville property released statements within hours apologizing and said the messages refusing to serve agents who were focused on immigration enforcement didn’t reflect their policies.
—Mars King, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
During their sentencing, both Hildebrandt and Ruby spoke about their crimes, with Ruby admitting to abusing her children and apologizing to them.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
The Residente-Balvin post comes just over a week after Bad Bunny and Balvin also put their rift behind with Bad Bunny apologizing to the La Familia singer.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2025
The coach opened his postgame news conference by apologizing to them.
—Denny Alfonso, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Kara Nesvig, Parents, 22 Jan. 2026
The moment comes when Fields stops, apologizing to her tribemates through tears.
—David Canfield, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
Still someone soon stepped on a part of it, apologizing profusely.
—Lindsey Bahr, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Poppy initially hesitates but ends up apologizing to Sarah, admitting that her deep connection with Alex had gotten in the way of her relationship.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
Hilton and local operators of the Hampton Inn Lakeville property released statements within hours apologizing and said the messages refusing to serve agents who were focused on immigration enforcement didn’t reflect their policies.
—Mars King, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
During their sentencing, both Hildebrandt and Ruby spoke about their crimes, with Ruby admitting to abusing her children and apologizing to them.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
The Residente-Balvin post comes just over a week after Bad Bunny and Balvin also put their rift behind with Bad Bunny apologizing to the La Familia singer.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 31 Dec. 2025
The coach opened his postgame news conference by apologizing to them.
—Denny Alfonso, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apologizing
Verb
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In a series of studies at Ohio University, participants viewed videos of people confessing to crimes.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
26 Jan. 2026
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In the novel, the story instead concludes aboard the Princess Andromeda cruise ship, where Luke is tricked into confessing to poisoning Thalia’s tree, clearing Chiron’s name.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But there’s no excusing Josh Allen’s four turnovers.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
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This isn’t about excusing others for poor behavior.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Therefore, telling the story in graphic form on behalf of Ukrainians themselves, explaining the preconditions for Russia’s attempts to erase Ukraine as a sovereign country and Ukrainians as an ethnic group, became extremely relevant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Nicotine use had the strongest impact on heart health, explaining 34% of the link between late bedtime and heart disease.—
Dr. Joseph Wendt,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Husband-chef and wife-farmer duo Kyle and Katina Connaughton are culinary dynamos who create pure magic on every plate served at SingleThread, more than justifying the lengthy waitlist for reservations.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Jan. 2026
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In justifying the need for the county’s investment, county Commissioner Andrew Sommerman noted the burden homeless individuals are placing on the jail, Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s buses and trains, and the Parkland Hospital emergency department.—
Tracey McManus,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apologizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologizing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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