mea culpa
Americaninterjection
noun
Usage
What does mea culpa mean? Mea culpa is the Latin way of saying my bad. It literally means “through my (own) fault.”Mea culpa can be used as an interjection (much like my fault or my bad) or as a noun referring to an apology, as in The senator offered a mea culpa during the press conference. Example: Dave usually has a hard time admitting he’s wrong, so his mea culpa means a lot.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mea culpa
From Latin: literally “through my fault”; mea culpa def. 1 was first recorded in 1200–50, and mea culpa def. 2 in 1815–20; cf. culpa ( def. )
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.
They wanted a mea culpa for what I didn’t write—namely that Mr. Vance had showed up to the House . . . on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
"You didn't ask for all the flashing lights... I wish I knew the pain I caused," sings Madonna in a rare mea culpa.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
We’ve already done one mea culpa this week and don’t want to set ourselves up for another, but: This is supremely unlikely, for basically every reason.
From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2026
Three months later, I published a mea culpa, in which I renounced my support for Trump and apologized for my hurtful deeds and rhetoric.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
If Toby went to the apartment right now, a mea culpa on his lips, Luke would forgive him.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
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.
