regretted; regretting
1
a
: to mourn the loss or death of
b
: to miss very much
2
: to be very sorry for
regrets his mistakes
: to experience regret
regretter
noun
1
: sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond one's control or power to repair
2
a
: an expression of distressing emotion (such as sorrow)
b
regrets plural
: a note politely declining an invitation
Examples of regret in a Sentence
Verb
Don't say anything you might regret later.
I deeply regret what I said.
She does not regret leaving him.
He regrets not traveling more when he was younger.
He says he doesn't regret anything that he's done in his life.
Noun
She has no regrets about leaving him.
My greatest regret is not going to college.
To my regret, I never visited Europe.
It is with deep regret that he is announcing his resignation.
My coworker gives her regrets for not being able to attend the meeting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Gender-affirming health care is proven to save lives, and more people regret having children than transitioning.
—Quispe López, Them., 30 Oct. 2025
Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Wood obviously smashed it on opening weekend, scoring twice against Brentford, while Joao Pedro blanked, filling me with instant regret.
—Holly Shand, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regret
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Jordan clarifies that his comment about regretting introducing Luca to Megan had nothing to do with Megan and was more about his decision to be on Love Is Blind when his son needs stability.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Gender-affirming health care is proven to save lives, and more people regret having children than transitioning.
—Quispe López, Them., 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
Captain Keegan Bradley, who had hoped for a home-soil comeback, has openly shared his regrets, second-guessing aspects like the course setup.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Wood obviously smashed it on opening weekend, scoring twice against Brentford, while Joao Pedro blanked, filling me with instant regret.
—Holly Shand, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regret
Cite this Entry
“Regret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regret. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
regret
1 of 2 verb
re·gret
ri-ˈgret 
regretted; regretting
1
a
: to mourn the loss or death of
b
: to miss very much
2
: to be keenly sorry for
3
: to experience regret
regret
2 of 2 noun1
: sorrow aroused by events beyond one's control
2
a
: an expression of sorrow or disappointment
b
plural
: a note politely turning down an invitation
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