apologize

American  

[uh-pol-uh-jahyz] / əˈpɒl əˌdʒaɪz /

especially British, apologise

verb (used without object)

• apologizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• apologized,
  past participle,  past
• apologizing
  present participle

1. 

   to offer an apology or excuse for some fault, insult, failure, or injury.

   He apologized for accusing her falsely.

2. to make a formal defense in speech or writing.

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apologize British  

/ əˈpɒləˌdʒaɪz /

verb

1. to express or make an apology; acknowledge failings or faults

2. to make a formal defence in speech or writing

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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

Derived Forms

• apologizer
  noun
• unapologizing
  noun
• reapologize
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Participles

• apologizing
  present
• apologized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• apologize
  simple
• apologizes
  simple
• have apologized
  perfect
• has apologized
  perfect
• am apologizing
  progressive
• are apologizing
  progressive
• is apologizing
  progressive
• have been apologizing
  perfect progressive
• has been apologizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• apologized
  simple
• had apologized
  perfect
• was apologizing
  progressive
• were apologizing
  progressive
• had been apologizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will apologize
  simple
• will have apologized
  perfect
• will be apologizing
  progressive
• will have been apologizing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of apologize

First recorded in 1590–1600; apolog(y) + -ize

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Explanation

When you apologize you admit that you did something wrong, and you say you’re sorry. The point of apologizing is usually to clear the slate and explain why you did what you did. We all make mistakes. Sometimes we even do bad things on purpose. But it can all be okay, so long as we apologize. Apologize comes from the Greek apologizesthai, which might be impossible to pronounce, but which means, “give an account.” When you accidentally run over your neighbor's flowerbed on your bike, you better be ready to apologize.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

apologize apologizes apologized apologizing

It is a quiet sort of luxury, one I don’t flaunt, but one I don’t apologize for either.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Guilfoyle’s attorney, Binnall, said: “Ambassador Guilfoyle will never apologize for offering to help shed light on a case in which 1,000 children underwent unnecessary, invasive, and debilitating surgeries at that man’s hands.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"I just wanted to apologize for how things went down the other night," he wrote.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

“I fully, wholly, and from the bottom of my heart apologize purely in a good way to you,” he wrote.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

“I apologize for our accidental meeting in the attic, and for the acorn attack as well. I assure you, it will never happen again.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Kathy Griffin apologizes in advance for all the noise.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

The young intern who shot us with a tranquilizer dart and then inserted that inexact analysis apologizes.

From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2026

Bruccoleri later apologizes for making me witness “the horror” of the day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

And Nina Turner, another of the activists who led the boycott, said she wasn’t going to start shopping there again unless the company publicly apologizes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

John tries to say something comforting to Mom, but she just brushes it off and apologizes to John for our lost meal.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Asked if he had a final statement before his execution, Howard apologized to Swartout's family, who watched from a witness room, US media report.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Years later the accuser publicly apologized for fabricating the charges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson said she apologized to her teammates for getting a technical foul late in an eventual 98-89 playoff loss to the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

OpenAI apologized Monday for not properly responding to the Australia incident, which involved its AI models accessing government websites without authorization.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Under different circumstances, a puffin of his integrity would have immediately apologized to Handsome.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

“Yeah, I’m apologizing to my team for that,” she told reporters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

The admittedly nervous executive started Monday’s news conferences by apologizing to the Clippers’ faithful for the aftermath of the Leonard situation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Hyrox’s co-founder released a statement on Instagram apologizing for not taking action during the race and stating that new rules and procedures were in place to prevent future incidents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

I’ve rarely seen Elordi wearing his lanky, handsome screen presence comfortably; something about the actor usually seems to be apologizing for his own existence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

I’m apologizing for so many things with that sentence, but she doesn't look at me again.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

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Related Words

• atone
• confess
• retract
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