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⇱ regret - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

regret

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/rɪˈgrɛt/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/rɪˈgrɛt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(ri gret′)

Inflections of 'regret' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
regrets
v 3rd person singular
regretting
v pres p
regretted
v past
regretted
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
re•gret /rɪˈgrɛt/USA pronunciation   v., -gret•ted, -gret•ting, n. 
v. 
  1. to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, event, etc.): [~ + object]said he did not regret his decision to retire.[~ + verb-ing]The thief said he regretted stealing the money.[~ + (that) clause]He regrets that he cannot be here in person tonight.
  2. (used in the present tense to express sorrow):[not: be + ~-ing;~ + to + verb]We regret to inform you that the train will be late.

n. 
  1. a feeling of sorrow, unhappiness, or guilt for a fault, wrong act, a loss, etc.: [uncountable]a sudden pang of regret.[countable]had no regrets.
  2. regrets, [plural] a polite, usually formal refusal of an invitation:sent my regrets.
re•gret•ful, adj. 
re•gret•ful•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
re•gret  (ri gret′),USA pronunciation v., -gret•ted, -gret•ting, n. 
v.t. 
  1. to feel sorrow or remorse for (an act, fault, disappointment, etc.):He no sooner spoke than he regretted it.
  2. to think of with a sense of loss:to regret one's vanished youth.

n. 
  1. a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc.
  2. a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, disappointment, etc.
  3. regrets, a polite, usually formal refusal of an invitation:I sent her my regrets.
  4. a note expressing regret at one's inability to accept an invitation:I have had four acceptances and one regret.
  • Gmc (compare greet2)
  • Middle French regreter, Old French, equivalent. to re- re- + -greter, perh.
  • Middle English regretten (verb, verbal) 1300–50
re•gret′ter, n. 
re•gret′ting•ly, adv. 
    1. deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan, mourn, sorrow, grieve. Regret, penitence, remorse imply a sense of sorrow about events in the past, usually wrongs committed or errors made. Regret is distress of mind, sorrow for what has been done or failed to be done:to have no regrets.Penitence implies a sense of sin or misdoing, a feeling of contrition and determination not to sin again:a humble sense of penitence.Remorse implies pangs, qualms of conscience, a sense of guilt, regret, and repentance for sins committed, wrongs done, or duty not performed:a deep sense of remorse.
    1. rejoice. 4. joy.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
regret /rɪˈɡrɛt/ vb ( -grets, -gretting, -gretted) (transitive)
  1. (may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to feel sorry, repentant, or upset about
  2. to bemoan or grieve the death or loss of
 n
  1. a sense of repentance, guilt, or sorrow, as over some wrong done or an unfulfilled ambition
  2. a sense of loss or grief
  3. (plural) a polite expression of sadness, esp in a formal refusal of an invitation
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French regrete, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse grāta to weepreˈgretful adj reˈgretfully adv reˈgretfulness n reˈgrettable adj reˈgrettably adv USAGE
'regret' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: has no regrets about [going, staying, leaving], no regrets about getting [married, divorced], don't want to have any regrets, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "regret" in the title:

'regret we didn't meet earlier'
a context for "I regret so."
A kind of cat_like regret
Accept our most sorrowful regret = apology ?
an akimbo regret
anticipating regret
Apologies (not the expression of regret)
As soon as she had posted the letter, she began to regret what she had written in it.
Be sorry vs Regret
biggest regret < that she never / is that she...>
biggest regret in my life is not being around with my baby and seeing him grow up
Can't "that" in "I regret that SV" be omitted?
chance of her parents regretting / parents regret / parents' regretting
Does "Regrexit" stand for "Regret (for) exit"?
Does the phrase <in retrospect> implies regret?
Don't regret losing <something><anything>
expressed regret in a letter suggesting...
expressing regret because of something
expression of regret because an unwanted situation arose
feel regret/feel regretful
filled with guilt and regret having taken...
For your whole life you'll regret why you didn't endure...
Grade D regret
had taken / would have taken (to express regret)
harbor some regret
He must (be regretting/regret) his decision now.
He will regret what he had done
hesitating about a plan to do something (regret?)
hold things with regret
how to use "regret" and gerund
more...

Look up "regret" at Merriam-Webster
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