Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
apology
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/əˈpɑlədʒi/ 
| singular | apology |
| plural | apologies |
- 1[countable] a statement that tells someone that you are sorry for doing something wrong or for causing a problem
We would have been happy with an apology.
make an apology:He made a public apology for his remarks.
owe someone an apology (=feel that you should apologize to someone):I think I owe you an apology.
demand an apology:We wrote to the editor demanding an apology.
accept someone’s apology:Of course we accepted his apologies – what else could we do?
Collocations: apology
▪ abject, full, heartfelt, profound, sincere
phrases
an apology for something
informalmake/offer no apologies
my (humble/deepest/sincere etc.) apologies
formal
This is the American English definition of apology. View British English definition of apology.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
simile
a phrase that describes something by comparing it to something else using the word...
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog