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
No reflection about who was apologizing and why.
—
Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
On July 23, 2025, her retrial officially began with prosecutors apologizing to her and, in a rare move, asking the court to overturn the guilty verdict.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
The fact that everyone is constantly apologizing to Solène doesn’t help her overinflated ego.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
More Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images Wallace ended up apologizing to Larson after the race, explaining what happened to his car.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
That shows Davidson freaking out about meeting the queen in order to accept his MBE, finding his inner strength with the help of Dottie to entering the grand hall with a vulgar outburst and charmingly apologizing.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
The district hears parents’ worries, King said, apologizing that the potential military presence would be coming amid a time when students should be happy.
—Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo but apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Victorious Festival then released a second statement apologizing to the band.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 24 Aug. 2025
Beth Lew-Williams, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
On July 23, 2025, her retrial officially began with prosecutors apologizing to her and, in a rare move, asking the court to overturn the guilty verdict.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
The fact that everyone is constantly apologizing to Solène doesn’t help her overinflated ego.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
More Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images Wallace ended up apologizing to Larson after the race, explaining what happened to his car.
—Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
That shows Davidson freaking out about meeting the queen in order to accept his MBE, finding his inner strength with the help of Dottie to entering the grand hall with a vulgar outburst and charmingly apologizing.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
The district hears parents’ worries, King said, apologizing that the potential military presence would be coming amid a time when students should be happy.
—Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo but apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Victorious Festival then released a second statement apologizing to the band.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apologizing
Verb
-
This could come in the form of flirty banter, a spontaneous run-in, or perhaps someone finally confessing their crush on you.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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The second season of the Netflix hit ended on a cliffhanger with Jackie finally confessing her feelings to Cole, but Alex hearing the confession.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Procedures for excusing or deferring jury duty differs by county, according to the state’s judicial website.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ans suggests, before politely excusing himself to go do pre-race pull-ups with his brother in the woods across the street.—
Abe Beame,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Police took Taddese’s phone and vehicle as evidence, which alarmed the family, Bernard said, explaining some of the family’s reservations about the police investigation.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
12 Sep. 2025
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About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Pentagon hasn't released information publicly justifying the destruction of the boat.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
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Bob felt that Clark Gilmer was 'justifying the harm' done to trans people in her comments about King.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Apologizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologizing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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