Meaning & use
apologising or apologizing
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseBritishAmerican
Two accepted spellings of the present participle of 'apologize': the British form apologising and the American form apologizing.
Grammar: Use as a verb form: 'She is apologising to her friend.' Choose the spelling that matches your variety of English.
Patterns
- apologising to someone
- apologising for something
- apologizing to someone
- apologizing for something
She is apologising to her neighbor for the noise last night.
He kept apologizing for being late, but nobody minded.
The company is apologising for the delay in deliveries.
Common combinations
- apologising for
- He is apologising for his mistake.
- apologising to
- She is apologising to her teacher.
- apologizing for
- They are apologizing for the confusion.
- apologizing to
- I am apologizing to my friend.
Synonyms and how they differ
- saying sorry
- A more informal phrase with the same meaning; it fits casual conversation better than formal writing.
Word family
- apology noun
- A statement in which you say you are sorry.
- apologetic adjective
- Feeling or showing that you are sorry.
- apologetically adverb
- In a way that shows you are sorry.
Commonly confused: apologising or apologizing or apologize?
apologising or apologizing vs apologize
This is the base form; apologising/apologizing is the -ing form used after 'be' or as a gerund.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct spelling for American English?
Choose one answer.
American English uses 'apologizing' with a 'z'. 'Apologising' is British, and the other two are misspellings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “apologising or apologizing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.