apologize

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   To tell someone you are sorry for something you did wrong or for causing trouble.

   Grammar: No direct object; use to for the person and for for the reason: apologize to her for the delay.

   Patterns

   • apologize to someone for something
   • apologize for doing something

   I apologize for being late to the meeting.

   He apologized to his sister for breaking her vase.

   The airline apologized for the long delay.

2. 2verbintransitiveformal

   To offer a justification or explanation for something, as in a formal defense.

   Grammar: Used in older writing with a sense of defending.

   Patterns

   • apologize for something

   The author did not apologize for his strong opinions.

   She refused to apologize for her choices.

   Critics apologized for the poor staging by blaming the budget.

Word forms

Common combinations

apologize profusely

The waiter apologized profusely for the mistake.

apologize for the inconvenience

We apologize for the inconvenience.

apologize to someone

You should apologize to your neighbor.

publicly apologize

The mayor publicly apologized for the error.

owe an apology

I owe you an apology.

apologize sincerely

She apologized sincerely and asked how to fix it.

Synonyms and how they differ

say sorry

Say sorry is the casual everyday phrase for apologize.

express regret

Express regret is more formal and may not include taking blame.

atone

Atone means making amends by actions, not simply saying sorry.

beg pardon

Beg pardon is an old-fashioned polite phrase.

Opposites

Word family

apology noun

a statement of regret

apologetic adjective

showing regret

apologetically adverb

in a regretful way

apologist noun

someone who defends a belief

Commonly confused: apologize or apologise?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “apologize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words