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# regret

verb (regret, regrets, regretted, regretting); noun (regret, regrets)

«regret» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To regret something is to feel sorry or sad about something you did or did not do, and wish it had been different. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#m1)
2. Regret is that sad, sorry feeling. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#m2)
3. In polite, formal writing, «We regret…» means «We are sorry to say…». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#m3)

### In the lessons

In stories and lessons about feelings, characters regret mean words or bad choices and then try to make things right. Phrases: «I regret it», «no regrets», «regret doing», «to my regret», «We regret to inform you».

### Examples

- I regret shouting at my brother. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#x1)
- She regretted not wearing her coat when it started to snow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#x2)
- He said sorry because he regretted breaking the vase. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#x3)
- Try things now so you have no regrets later. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#x4)
- We regret that the swimming pool is closed today. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#x5)
- The fox regretted being greedy when he lost his food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#x6)
- It was not long, however, before he had cause to regret his weakness. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/#x7)

### Note

Past: «regretted» (double t). Adjectives: «regretful» (feeling regret) and «regrettable» (something to be sorry about). «Regret doing» = sorry about what you did; «regret to say» = sorry about what you are going to say.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «regret» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/regret/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«regret» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/regret.html) on Mova free.