Meaning & use
say sorry
Last updated
UK/ˌseɪ ˈsɒri/
US/ˌseɪ ˈsɑːri/
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
To tell someone that you feel regret for something you did, usually to apologize for a mistake or harm.
Grammar: Say changes tense: he said sorry; sorry stays the same.
Patterns
- say sorry to someone
- say sorry for something
She had to say sorry to her brother for breaking his toy.
I should say sorry for being late.
He never says sorry, even when he is wrong.
Word forms
| third person singular | says sorry |
|---|---|
| past tense | said sorry |
| -ing form | saying sorry |
Common combinations
- say sorry to someone
- Say sorry to your sister.
- say sorry for something
- He said sorry for the mess.
- refuse to say sorry
- She refused to say sorry.
- make someone say sorry
- The teacher made him say sorry.
- forgot to say sorry
- I forgot to say sorry after the argument.
Synonyms and how they differ
- apologize
- Apologize is more formal and suits letters, news and business, while say sorry is casual speech.
- make amends
- Make amends means to do something to repair the harm, not just to say words.
- express regret
- Express regret is formal and sounds distant in everyday speech.
Word family
Commonly confused: say sorry or feel sorry for?
say sorry vs feel sorry for
Feel sorry for someone means to pity them. It does not mean to apologize.
Practice
After shouting at his friend, Jamal knew he should ____ and promise to be calmer.
Choose one answer.
Say sorry means apologize. Feel sorry for means pity, which would not fit an apology.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “say sorry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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