repent
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
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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)
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to remember or regard with self-reproach or contrition.
to repent one's injustice to another.
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to feel sorry for; regret.
to repent an imprudent act.
adjective
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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repentsimple
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repentssimple
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have repentedperfect
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has repentedperfect
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am repentingprogressive
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are repentingprogressive
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is repentingprogressive
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have been repentingperfect progressive
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has been repentingperfect progressive
Past
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repentedsimple
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had repentedperfect
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was repentingprogressive
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were repentingprogressive
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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:
He urged "those who organise death routes, traffic in human beings" to "stop and repent", raising his voice for emphasis as the crowd applauded.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 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
Even the thief crucified alongside him, in the final minutes of his life, with nothing to offer and everything to repent, received the same promise: today you will be with me in paradise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 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
Finally he blurts out, startling me, “The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad, and if I repent of anything...”
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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
It can't both be true that the accusations are false and also that Hegseth repents of his behavior, as multiple journalists have pointed out.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 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
But I believe he is chiefly meditating on the purging and subliming of what he has already done: and repents that he has published at all yet.
From Tennyson's Life and Poetry And Mistakes Concerning Tennyson by Parsons, Eugene
In a better world, perhaps he’d have had a change of heart and repented of his increasingly intolerant tirades.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
In several cases, countries that arrived at trade deals with the U.S. later repented because their deals were too one-sided, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 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
I repented to, and was forgiven by, my buddy Fang.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
He spoke of Sauron repenting “if only out of fear.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
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
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.
