The Collaborative International Dictionary
Regret \Re*gret"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Regretted (-t[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Regretting.] [F. regretter, OF. regreter; L. pref. re- re- + a word of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. gr[=e]tan to weep, Icel. gr[=a]t
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See Greet to lament.] To experience regret on account of; to lose or miss with a sense of regret; to feel sorrow or dissatisfaction on account of (the happening or the loss of something); as, to regret an error; to regret lost opportunities or friends.
Calmly he looked on either life, and here Saw nothing to regret, or there to fear.
--Pope.In a few hours they [the Israelites] began to regret their slavery, and to murmur against their leader.
--Macaulay.Recruits who regretted the plow from which they had been violently taken.
--Macaulay.
Wiktionary
n. The act by which something is regretted. vb. (present participle of regret English)
WordNet
v. feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about [syn: repent, rue]
feel sad about the loss or absence of
decline formally or politely; "I regret I can't come to the party"
be sorry; "I regret to say that you did not gain admission to Harvard"
[also: regretting, regretted]
n. sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment; "he drank to drown his sorrows"; "he wrote a note expressing his regret"; "to his rue, the error cost him the game" [syn: sorrow, rue, ruefulness]
[also: regretting, regretted]
See regret
Usage examples of "regretting".
Everybody was regretting the lack of actors, and the impossibility of enjoying the pleasures of the theatre.
Her sallies made me laugh and recalled the happy moments I had passed with her, but the idea of her happiness prevented my regretting having yielded my rights to another.
He died soon after at Liege, and his wife told me of the circumstance, saying that he had expired regretting his inability to pay his debts.
Arlbery appeared to her indelicate, unkind, and ungenerous, and regretting she had ever seen, and repenting she had ever known her, she sunk upon a chair in a passionate burst of tears.
Instantly regretting her impulsiveness, she rubbed her stinging palm and bit her lower lip to keep from crying over her own stupidity.
I felt that it gave new strength to my hopes, and that feeling prevented me from regretting my heavy loss, but grateful for the great generosity of my benefactor I was fully determined on keeping my promise.
On the 6th May she wrote, regretting that she was unable to send some crawfish soup, but that the rivers were too high for the peasants to secure the crawfish.
Laurus is regretting that each affinity bond is unique and impregnable.
I was only regretting that life consisted of anything else but cottages and yourself.
His curiosity was excited, and, instead of regretting his extracted promise to join the cavalcade, he rejoiced that an opportunity was thus afforded him of perhaps solving a problem in the secret of which he now began to feel extremely interested.
Indeed my mother, who had not previously been known for her appreciation of female company, was no doubt regretting the arrangement but was unable to dismantle it.
I ventured, suddenly regretting that I had no job other than that of looking after Digby.
He sighed, still regretting the textile, and reached for his wine glass, taking a tiny cautious sip.
I received yesterday a letter from Mildred regretting your departure from Baltimore, and expressing the pleasure she derived from having been with you even a short week.
He asked her permission to wait there until the shower was over, and praised her nice white floor, regretting that we had marred its beauty.