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 pop singer shared a message on social media about the tour cancellation, apologizing to fans who were looking forward to the shows.
—
Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Jacob Strand doesn't believe Tanner Horner's story The prosecutor then asked Jacob Strand about the letter that Horner wrote to law enforcement, apologizing to him and his family.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
In Cloobeck’s account, Swalwell began apologizing to him two days after the allegations surfaced.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 14 Apr. 2026
In a post to her Instagram Stories on March 26, Hope addressed the rumors by posting a note Draper sent apologizing.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Often apologizing in between bites, Beard, 40, eats savagely with his hands, squeezing food and mashing it into his mouth.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 6 Apr. 2026
Learning from last year’s Final Four blowout loss, Close has grown as a leader by apologizing to players and seeking their feedback.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
The man seemingly pushed the phone out of his face before apologizing.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Even on the field, McCarthy was pretty cool and was apologizing to him.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Jacob Strand doesn't believe Tanner Horner's story The prosecutor then asked Jacob Strand about the letter that Horner wrote to law enforcement, apologizing to him and his family.
—Briauna Brown, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
In Cloobeck’s account, Swalwell began apologizing to him two days after the allegations surfaced.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 14 Apr. 2026
In a post to her Instagram Stories on March 26, Hope addressed the rumors by posting a note Draper sent apologizing.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Often apologizing in between bites, Beard, 40, eats savagely with his hands, squeezing food and mashing it into his mouth.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 6 Apr. 2026
Learning from last year’s Final Four blowout loss, Close has grown as a leader by apologizing to players and seeking their feedback.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
The man seemingly pushed the phone out of his face before apologizing.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Even on the field, McCarthy was pretty cool and was apologizing to him.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apologizing
Verb
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Robinson left a handwritten note for his romantic partner confessing to the crime, and also confessed to friends on the chat room platform Discord, prosecutors said.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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Josh goes to prison and serves an eight-year sentence after falsely confessing to Park's crimes.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Australians should maintain confidence in due process, and refrain from jumping to conclusions by either damning Roberts-Smith or excusing him.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
19 Apr. 2026
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And historians can talk about the Versailles treaty causing resentment in Germany, which led to the rise of Nazism in World War II, and that’s fine; that’s not excusing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And two people explaining why a movie going straight to streaming is actually a good thing.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
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That’s why the timeout confusion, while worth explaining, shouldn’t become the main takeaway.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Consistently, independent polls showed the opposition with a sizable lead, but Western diplomats in Budapest cautioned me not to underestimate Orbán’s ability to mobilize voters at the last moment, or to manufacture circumstances justifying a state of emergency.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
12 Apr. 2026
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In the meantime, Varsity faces a Thursday deadline to submit arguments justifying why, at its insistence, a bulk of the docket to date has been filed under seal.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apologizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologizing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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