rue
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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rues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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:
Soberingly, the man who became the personification of a smash-mouth sport—and defended it—also grew to rue its hazards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Despite the late Super Giants wickets, Seifert's knock proved the difference, as Rockets' batters were left to rue plenty of promising starts but none were able to kick on in the same destructive manner.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The loss means Pegula's wait for a first Grand Slam singles title goes on - and she may be left to rue a missed opportunity.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 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
If there are fireflies this summer, they do not come down the rue Vauborel.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Until that point, Skye rues that she had lived like an adult since childhood, the inevitable consequence of entering Hollywood as an adolescent and lacking conventional parental guidance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2025
Having expressed happiness that he and Erica were back together by the time that major was played, it also becomes abundantly clear that McIlroy still rues his capitulation at that event in North Carolina.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025
Nearly 18 months later, Fowler still rues giving up those goals to Georgetown, even though the tying goal was a perfectly placed free kick.
From Seattle Times ● May 1, 2021
History vindicated his decision, many would argue, but could not restore Dreyfuss’s formal training as an actor, something he still rues.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 24, 2020
Wee Sandy in the corner, Sits crying on a stool; And deep the laddie rues Playing truant from the school.
From Aunt Kitty's Stories by Justin H. Howard
“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
"Why did they forget me?" rued Cano, one of hundreds of women affected by a breast cancer screening scandal in the southern region's public health system that has shocked the country.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
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
Leclerc, disappointed to miss out on pole, rued traffic on his first lap of final qualifying, which he said meant he went into his final run blind.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
It was these three huts that I associated with all my happiness, with life itself, and I rued the fact that I had not kissed each of them before I left.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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
And boy are the Saints really ruing their Week 3 home loss to the Packers when Green Bay scored 18 points in the final 11 minutes to take an 18-17 win.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
Norris' took his first Formula 1 pole by 0.061 seconds but was ruing not achieving his potential in qualifying for the grand prix on Friday.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 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.
