rue
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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rues,
present (3rd person singular)
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rued,
past participle, past
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ruing
present participle
-
to feel sorrow over; repent of; regret bitterly.
to rue the loss of opportunities.
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to wish that (something) had never been done, taken place, etc..
I rue the day he was born.
verb (used without object)
-
rues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rued,
past participle, past
-
ruing
present participle
noun
-
sorrow; repentance; regret.
-
pity or compassion.
noun
verb
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ruesimple
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ruessimple
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have ruedperfect
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has ruedperfect
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am ruingprogressive
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are ruingprogressive
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is ruingprogressive
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have been ruingperfect progressive
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has been ruingperfect progressive
Past
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ruedsimple
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had ruedperfect
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was ruingprogressive
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were ruingprogressive
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had been ruingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rue1
before 900; (v.) Middle English ruen, rewen, Old English hrēowan; cognate with Dutch rouwen, German reuen; (noun) Middle English rewe, reowe, Old English hrēow; cognate with Dutch rouw, German Reue; cf. ruth
Origin of rue2
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin rūta < Greek rhȳtḗ
Explanation
To rue is to feel regret or remorse for something. If that position at the deli ended up involving a reality TV show that made everyone famous, you may rue the day you turned down the job. Rue comes from the Old English word hreowan, meaning "to make sorry," and rue can still sum up a lot of sorrow in one small syllable. Shakespeare made the word famous in phrases like "rue the hour" and "rue the time," meaning you bitterly regret a moment, but did not use the exact phrase "rue the day" which actually occurs in Christopher Marlowe's play Tamburlaine the Great. Another common meaning of rue refers to a strong-scented herb often used for medicinal purposes back in the day. A lot of written works make puns where the plant alludes to sorrow and pain.
Vocabulary lists containing rue
The Tragedy of Macbeth
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 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:
The rue Lepic, the steep 1-kilometer stretch that punches up through the 18th arrondissement and leads the peloton toward the Sacré-Coeur basilica, is a more recent addition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
A couple of panelists rue the seeming lack of attention paid to “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” touting Oscar and two-time Emmy winner Patricia Arquette.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Arsenal will rue their overturned penalty against Atletico.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
Despite the victory and going top, will City rue being unable to find a more clinical edge against a team relegated down to the Championship?
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Here, near a corner, waits the tall narrow house at Number 4 rue Vauborel.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Shane Manogue, the owner of a construction and maintenance company, claims he is owed at least £20,000 and said he "rues the day" he met de Min.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
She also rues the ubiquity of leaf blowers and poisons in Americans’ pursuit of tidy, manicured lawns, which provide no shelter for overwintering creatures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
The Hook’s founder, Hawes Spencer, rues the sudden demise of his old paper’s historical record.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022
Rory McIlroy still rues a 3-foot birdie putt he missed on the 17th hole in the opening round in 2010.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2022
Her heart's hard as marble; she rues not my mone.
From English and Scottish Ballads, Volume IV by Various
"He's not yet announced much so it's hard to say ... nothing's going to be easier or cheaper," for pubs or people, rued Moyses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
But the Newcastle head coach tellingly rued the absence of another midfielder post-match.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
“MTV is going off the air at midnight tonight . . . man. There was a time when MTV was THE channel to be watching on New Year’s Eve,” rued one Bluesky user.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2026
In a speech in November 1992, Queen Elizabeth II rued the previous 12 months as an annus horribilis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025
Now painfully awake, the broker drank a strong black coffee and rued his change of fortune.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Even a day and a win later, the Lakers were still ruing Thursday’s road loss in Denver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2026
Alexander-Arnold curled a free-kick wide as the clock ticked down and it looked like Madrid were left ruing two points dropped, when the third was taken away from them too.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
Given the ease in which their lower order managed to clear the ropes as the innings progressed, Rizwan's side will be ruing that slow start with their semi-final hopes already hanging by a thread.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
They outspent labor by 6 to 1 — a gap the unions may be ruing.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
The Pioneer Press quotes Secretary of HUD Andrew Cuomo ruing the “cruel irony” that prosperity is shrinking the stock of affordable housing nationwide: “The stronger the economy, the stronger the upward pressure on rents.”
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
