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
In a statement to the Palm Beach Post, one of the boy’s parents issued a statement through a spokesperson apologizing for their son’s actions.
—
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also drew opprobrium last month after apologizing to Arab neighbors and declaring there would be no more attacks against them.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Lozana would be reinstated, but only after apologizing and earning back some trust in team workouts.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
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
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also drew opprobrium last month after apologizing to Arab neighbors and declaring there would be no more attacks against them.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Lozana would be reinstated, but only after apologizing and earning back some trust in team workouts.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
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
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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Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing, excusing the allegations as an accounting error.—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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The species evolved to adapt, with some growing larger and others smaller than their mainland counterparts, explaining the larger size of the island scrub-jay and the small size of the island fox.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Apr. 2026
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In 2012, Classic Media was bought by DreamWorks Animation, which in turn was acquired by Universal Pictures parent NBCUniversal in 2016, explaining why the potential Disney+ series is a co-production between DreamWorks Animation TV and UCP.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Quiet-luxury proponents would often speak of frequency of use and cost per wear in justifying a four-figure black wool sweater.—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
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Military technology has become more sophisticated, but the minds justifying its use are stuck in the past.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apologizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apologizing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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