repent
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
repents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repented,
past participle, past
-
repenting
present participle
-
to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. (often followed byof ).
He repented after his thoughtless act.
-
to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent.
verb (used with object)
-
repents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repented,
past participle, past
-
repenting
present participle
-
to remember or regard with self-reproach or contrition.
to repent one's injustice to another.
-
to feel sorry for; regret.
to repent an imprudent act.
adjective
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
repentsimple
-
repentssimple
-
have repentedperfect
-
has repentedperfect
-
am repentingprogressive
-
are repentingprogressive
-
is repentingprogressive
-
have been repentingperfect progressive
-
has been repentingperfect progressive
Past
-
repentedsimple
-
had repentedperfect
-
was repentingprogressive
-
were repentingprogressive
-
had been repentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repent1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English repenten, from Old French repentir, from re- re- + pentir “to feel sorrow” (from Latin paenitēre “to regret, be sorry”; see penitent)
Origin of repent2
First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin rēpent- stem of rēpēns “crawling,” present participle of rēpere “to crawl, creep”; perhaps akin to serpere “to creep, crawl” ( see serpent ( def. ))
Explanation
The verb repent means "to feel sorry for something you've done." When you repent, you acknowledge what you did and vow to change your ways. The word repent comes from the Old French word repentir, which means, "to feel regret for sins or crimes." If you cheat on an exam in school, and feel guilty afterwards, you might repent for your bad behavior by confessing to your teacher. The verb repent is often used in a religious context: when you repent, you try to make up for what you've done, promise to avoid sin in the future and devote yourself to God.
Vocabulary lists containing repent
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Of course, people can repent and have a second chance. But they should not be lauded.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
But he also asked lawmakers to consider a kind of "special amnesty for those who repent."
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
For these reasons, and for all my aforementioned principles about allowing people to repent for their mistakes, I don’t think Platner should drop out of the race.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
The passage is often invoked by Christian conservatives in the US, and is interpreted to be a call for citizens to repent and for God to bless the nation.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
“I can’t repent … I was sincere, I don’t know how to repent.”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Grinch boosters point out that the villain repents and reforms at the end of the story, shedding his pathological hatred of Christmas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025
The assumption is that Brady surely repents of the decision to return and that he is “a shell of himself,” as commentator Rex Ryan hazarded, and indeed he seems thin to the point of sickness.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2022
Welby, spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, called for a "global financial architecture which repents of its past sins", including changes in tax rules to promote green activity.
From Reuters ● Oct. 4, 2021
That particular reality is redeemed in narrative terms — Scrooge repents and Tiny Tim doesn't die after all — but the observation stands, and we all know how the story ends in the long run.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2021
He who succeeds repents not; penitence Is but another name for ill success.
From The Fatal Falsehood by Hannah More
Although his pro-Polish stance cost him a great deal of popularity in Russia—there was a sharp drop in the readership of the samizdat Bell—he never repented his choice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
John Paul visited him in prison in December 1983, where he repented for the crime but did not specify his motives.
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
Most of these old pirates have left the area - often they have gone abroad or have repented.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2024
Touching briefly on Paxton's affair, Buzbee framed the suspended attorney general as an imperfect man who had repented.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2023
Las Casas, a conquistador who repented of his actions and became a priest, spent the second half of his long fife opposing European cruelty in the Americas.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
So, there’s a deeper meditation where you are repenting, not only for him but for the dynamics that are happening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2022
Earlier this month, the National Association of Evangelicals issued a statement repenting for shortcomings in combating poverty and racial inequality.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2020
He tried to comfort himself with the thought that maybe he was repenting for a different crime: he had gone over the speed limit in his car; sometimes he had spun his tires.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 12, 2017
“I am sorry, and I am repenting a lot,” Kang told reporters after the ruling.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 3, 2017
And the manufacturers and importers and salesmen down on their knees, repenting in public, conical paper hats like dunce hats on their heads, shame printed on them in red.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
