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# apologise

«apologise» in Mova's school dictionary: **sorry for something you did wrong or for something that…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (apologise, apologises, apologised, apologising)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To say you are sorry for something you did wrong or for something that upset or hurt someone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#m1)

2) To say sorry politely for a small trouble, like being late or interrupting. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life and safety lessons, apologising is part of good manners and of fixing a friendship after a quarrel: you say what you did, say sorry, and try to put it right. In stories, a character who apologises shows they understand they were wrong. Phrases: «apologise to someone», «apologise for something», «apologise for being late», «I apologise».

### examples

- I apologised to my sister for breaking her pencil. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x1)
- You should apologise to Sam for pushing him. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x2)
- The bus driver apologised for the delay. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x3)
- She apologised for interrupting the teacher. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x4)
- He never apologises, even when he is wrong. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x5)
- "I apologise," said the waiter, and brought a clean fork. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x6)
- A good apology says what you did and how you will fix it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x7)
- We apologised to our neighbour after the ball hit her window. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/#x8)

### note

British spelling «apologise»; American spelling «apologize» — both are correct. The noun is «apology» (plural «apologies»). Say «apologise TO a person FOR a thing», not «apologise someone». A real apology means it; saying sorry while still teasing is not a real apology.

### In the corpora

- [In March 2024 photo agencies withdrew a Mother's Day family photo because it had been edited, and the Princess apologised.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/45-the-royal-family-in-the-news-a-queens-death-a-coronation-titles-lost-and-illnesses-announced/16/)
- [Toad apologises fully and promises to do nothing without the Rat's advice; the Rat says they must wait for Mole and Badger.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/66-willows-ch11-part2-the-wild-wooders-take-toad-hall/12/)
- [When someone apologises, you say "That's okay" or "Thank you for saying sorry" and try to forgive.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/126-goodbye-thanks-and-sorry/14/)
- [Apologising first can feel hard, but it often makes the other person ready to make peace.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/394-making-peace-between-the-streets/21/)
- [Courage is not only fighting; telling, walking away, apologising and being kind are also brave.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/395-what-everyone-learned/18/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «apologise» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/apologise/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.