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
But Cate gets almost no attention outside the nice sequence of Marie apologizing and healing her.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
And don’t spend the evening apologizing or hiding in the kitchen.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
After abruptly leaving the Chicago stop of her and Monica‘s The Boy Is Mine Tour, Brandy Norwood is explaining her exit and apologizing to fans.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2025
The singer also shared a statement apologizing to fans.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
And now, the singer is apologizing to fans, but not for anything to do with his ex.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2025
The coaches reacted quite differently — the Colts’ Shane Steichen punished Mitchell by playing him only sparingly a week later, while Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon lost his cool and erupted on the sideline, later apologizing.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Minutes before, Combs begged the judge for mercy, while apologizing to his ex-girlfriends.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
But Kirson is the first to release a lengthy statement apologizing while also confirming the donation of her salary.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025
And don’t spend the evening apologizing or hiding in the kitchen.
—Alesandra Dubin, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
After abruptly leaving the Chicago stop of her and Monica‘s The Boy Is Mine Tour, Brandy Norwood is explaining her exit and apologizing to fans.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2025
The singer also shared a statement apologizing to fans.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
And now, the singer is apologizing to fans, but not for anything to do with his ex.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2025
The coaches reacted quite differently — the Colts’ Shane Steichen punished Mitchell by playing him only sparingly a week later, while Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon lost his cool and erupted on the sideline, later apologizing.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Minutes before, Combs begged the judge for mercy, while apologizing to his ex-girlfriends.
—Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025
But Kirson is the first to release a lengthy statement apologizing while also confirming the donation of her salary.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apologizing
Verb
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The following year, the duo’s producer admitted that Morvan and Pilatus lip-synced, confessing that their voices weren’t even on the album.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
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Nickerson was immediately terminated after confessing to the behavior, McKinzie wrote in an email to the congregation at the time.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some Republicans and Democrats criticized Vance’s response for excusing or downplaying the nature of the chat messages.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
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Celebrating or excusing violence is abhorrent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The goal of a lifetime,’’ Corso said after the game, explaining his rationale.—
Dana O'Neil,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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The man responded, explaining that his relationship with Tony’s family went far beyond casual friendliness.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The midfield area certainly functioned better against Frankfurt, with Curtis Jones more than justifying his inclusion.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Specifically, Barnes referenced Act 237, or the LEARNS Act, and Act 372, as two statutes justifying the memo's release.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apologizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologizing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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