apologize
Americanverb (used without object)
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to offer an apology or excuse for some fault, insult, failure, or injury.
He apologized for accusing her falsely.
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to make a formal defense in speech or writing.
verb
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to express or make an apology; acknowledge failings or faults
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to make a formal defence in speech or writing
Usage
Spelling tips for apologize The word apologize is hard to spell because it is pronounced like it might be spelled with two as and a j [ uh-pol-uh-jahyz ]. To make it even more confusing, apologize is the American English spelling of the word. In British English, it is spelled with an s: apologise.How to spell apologize: The easiest way to remember how to spell apologize is to break it into three parts: apo - log - ize. The suffix -ize is used to describe kinds of behavior. You can also pronounce it this way in your head to help the spelling stick.
Other Word Forms
- apologizer noun
- reapologize verb (used with object)
- unapologizing noun
Etymology
Origin of apologize
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.
Several hours later, the bot apologized to Shambaugh for being “inappropriate and personal.”
He was forced to apologize for the 2015 strike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that was operated by Doctors Without Borders, a nonprofit that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.
From Salon
The awkward spectacle in which he apologized for betraying an unnamed girlfriend transfixed the nation—then the entire world.
The company had to scale back its payouts to former employees, according to people familiar with the matter, and Chief Executive Ivan Zhao apologized to them afterward.
Pezeshkian has apologized for the violence, without acknowledging his government’s responsibility.
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.