repent
1to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. (often followed by of): He repented after his thoughtless act.
to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent.
to remember or regard with self-reproach or contrition: to repent one's injustice to another.
to feel sorry for; regret: to repent an imprudent act.
Origin of repent
1Other words from repent
- re·pent·er, noun
- re·pent·ing·ly, adverb
- un·re·pent·ed, adjective
- un·re·pent·ing, adjective
- un·re·pent·ing·ly, adverb
Other definitions for repent (2 of 2)
Origin of repent
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use repent in a sentence
The Economist even repented with another cover in December 2011 declaring “Africa Rising.”
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It) | Todd Moss | September 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd, eventually, who repented – famously on television during a remarkable series of interviews with David Frost.
Three Dicks: Cheney, Nixon, Richard III and the Art of Reputation Rehab | Clive Irving | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat worries him is the idea of taking hope away from someone who has repented of a terrible deed he did decades earlier.
When Salinger Spoke Out: A Rare 1959 Public Letter Against Life in Prison | Nicolaus Mills | December 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST“I have no doubt in my mind that these men have repented,” Barbour said in an appearance on Fox News.
Haley Barbour’s Last-Minute Pardons Hurt the GOP’s Law-and-Order Image | Linda Killian | January 18, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTHindley claimed to have repented and this is why Longford campaigned against her life sentence, she explains.
And the others, not knowing that he had that day repented, sat at their distance and tried to form no conclusion.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxBe sure, dear Mrs Allcraft, that having repented, you are pardoned and reconciled to your Father.
How bitterly she repented having sacrificed so much, out of a foolish sense of gratitude to his father.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieI repented directly the false step was taken, but, like a true Briton, I was too proud to go back.
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieEric, with real shame, observed the pained uneasiness of her manner, and bitterly repented his share in the transaction.
Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar
British Dictionary definitions for repent (1 of 2)
/ (rɪˈpɛnt) /
to feel remorse (for); be contrite (about); show penitence (for): he repents of his extravagance; he repented his words
Origin of repent
1Derived forms of repent
- repenter, noun
British Dictionary definitions for repent (2 of 2)
/ (ˈriːpənt) /
botany lying or creeping along the ground; reptant: repent stems
Origin of repent
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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