apologize

/əˈpɒləˌd͡ʒaɪz/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: apologizes · apologizing · apologized

Sense 1

Meaning · English

To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

làm một lời xin lỗi hoặc tìm lý do; thừa nhận một số lỗi hoặc tội, với biểu hiện hối tiếc

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

VerbRegister: US

Examples

My correspondent apologized for not answering my letter.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

To express regret that a certain event has occurred.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

thể hiện sự hối tiếc về một sự kiện nhất định đã xảy ra

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

VerbRegister: US

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “apologize” mean?

To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends

Is “apologize” formal or informal?

apologize is generally US.