regard
Americanverb (used with object)
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regards,
present (3rd person singular)
-
regarded,
past participle, past
-
regarding
present participle
-
to look upon or think of with a particular feeling.
to regard a person with favor.
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to have or show respect or concern for.
-
to think highly of; esteem.
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to take into account; consider.
-
to look at; observe.
She regarded him with amusement.
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to relate to; concern.
The news does not regard the explosion.
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to see, look at, or conceive of in a particular way; judge (usually followed byas ).
I regard every assignment as a challenge. They regarded his behavior as childish.
verb (used without object)
-
regards,
present (3rd person singular)
-
regarded,
past participle, past
-
regarding
present participle
-
to pay attention.
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to look or gaze.
noun
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reference; relation.
to err with regard to facts.
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an aspect, point, or particular.
quite satisfactory in this regard.
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thought; attention; concern.
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look; gaze.
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respect, esteem, or deference.
a high regard for scholarship.
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kindly feeling; liking.
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regards, sentiments of esteem or affection.
Give them my regards.
idioms
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as regards. as.
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with / in regard to, referring to; concerning: Also within regards to
With regard to the new contract, we have some questions.
verb
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to look closely or attentively at (something or someone); observe steadily
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(tr) to hold (a person or thing) in respect, admiration, or affection
we regard your work very highly
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(tr) to look upon or consider in a specified way
she regarded her brother as her responsibility
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(tr) to relate to; concern; have a bearing on
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to take notice of or pay attention to (something); heed
he has never regarded the conventions
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(preposition) in respect of; concerning
noun
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a gaze; look
-
attention; heed
he spends without regard to his bank balance
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esteem, affection, or respect
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reference, relation, or connection (esp in the phrases with regard to or in regard to )
-
(plural) good wishes or greetings (esp in the phrase with kind regards , used at the close of a letter)
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on this point
Usage
Although sometimes considered poor substitutes for about or concerning, the phrases as regards, in regard to, and with regard to are standard and occur in all varieties of spoken and written English, especially in business writing: As regards your letter of January 19. … Note that although in regards to and with regards to are generally considered poor usage, these less formal variants have become increasingly common.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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regardsimple
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regardssimple
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have regardedperfect
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has regardedperfect
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am regardingprogressive
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are regardingprogressive
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is regardingprogressive
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have been regardingperfect progressive
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has been regardingperfect progressive
Past
-
regardedsimple
-
had regardedperfect
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was regardingprogressive
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were regardingprogressive
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had been regardingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of regard
First recorded in 1350–1400; (for the verb) late Middle English, from Middle French regarder “to look at” ( cf. reward ); equivalent to re- + guard ; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
When you give someone a good, long look, you regard them. It can also mean "to believe," as in "I regard her as my best friend." Regard often means respect and admiration, as in "I have the greatest regard for my grandmother." Sometimes it's a greeting: you can send someone your regards, which means to tell them you said hello and wish them well. There's a famous song called, "Give My Regards to Broadway." On the other hand, you can use it as a sign-off on a letter. Instead of "Sincerely" or "Yours Truly," you can close with "Regards."
Vocabulary lists containing regard
Slider
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The Town with No Mirrors
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Vocabulary from Readings 3, Unit 1
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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:
Majumdar said the procedure is so common in teens that many baseball families regard it as “a rite of passage”: “They can be elite now that they’ve had their Tommy John surgery.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Romero says she knows Becerra from when he served in Congress and she was in the state Senate and has “great regard and great respect” for him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Graves told ProPublica that he had high regard for Bunch — “his accomplishment with the African American museum was remarkable” — but that he became worried that the Smithsonian was operating within a bubble.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Police did not regard the death as suspicious or believe there had been any third-party involvement, the inquest heard.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The city’s actions in this regard were only partly successful.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
“He understands his mistake, accepts the consequences of his actions and will learn from this. The entire Trojan Family wishes Dante a full recovery, and we send our best regards to him and his family.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
But while Tuchel may not have total clarity with regards to whether control or chaos is the way forward, he showed no hint of confusion over who he believes his best players are.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Black has denied any wrongdoing with regards to his dealings with Epstein.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The northern route is "a temporary and minuscule solution with regards to the overall needs", De Ricqles said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
First, as regards domestic animals, we’ve already seen that those of sub-Saharan Africa came from Eurasia, with the possible exception of a few from North Africa.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Broadly worded constitutional provisions can be regarded as delegating a degree of authority to apply those provisions to new situations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Plant material that is currently regarded as waste could contain phenolic compounds with properties that make them interesting for future biomedical research.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
Introducing the exhibition at Thursday’s press preview, Robert Englund, who played the razor-fingered Freddy Krueger in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” films, recalled how the genre was once regarded in Hollywood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The hack is particularly embarrassing from a technical perspective because ShinyHunters is not generally regarded as a highly sophisticated hacking group.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
She again regarded me with a surprised stare.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
But officials previously told The Times that postal employees have had other encounters with peacocks, and that the agency has been working with the Pasadena Humane Society regarding concerns involving the birds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The bill called for state agencies to address “the inequities regarding access to, and control over, water caused by state-sanctioned acts of termination, removal, and assimilation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The White House in several administrations, Democratic and Republican, has been involved in efforts regarding the release of Americans, according to former officials familiar with the process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
"We will issue an official statement regarding the status of the project and our plans in the near future."
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
A backlash against blacks was clearly in force, but no consensus had yet been reached regarding what racial and social order would ultimately emerge from these turbulent times.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
