repent
verb (used without object)
to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. (often followed byof ).
repented
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past participleof repent.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof repent.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
repentverb (used without object)to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. (often followed byof ).
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.
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
Among the foreign women held in the camps, many have repented and asked to go home, she said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
He said he had since "personally repented for this error," adding: "Looking back, I realise that I should have respectfully declined the request at the time."
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2023
Once he had asked Elizabeth—they had been married a long while, Roy was a baby, and she was big with Sarah—if she had truly repented of her sin.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
