apologize to someone

Meaning

This expression means to express regret or say sorry to a specific person for a mistake or wrongdoing. It is a formal way to mend relationships and take responsibility. It is highly used in both polite social interactions and professional emails.

Examples

• I think you should apologize to her for arriving so late.

  I think you should apologize to her for arriving so late.

• He wrote a formal letter to apologize to his clients for the delay.

  He wrote a formal letter to apologize to his clients for the delay.

• She felt terrible and decided to apologize to her neighbor.

  She felt terrible and decided to apologize to her neighbor.

• You don't need to apologize to me; it was just an accident.

  You don't need to apologize to me; it was just an accident.

• The manager had to apologize to the customer for the poor service.

  The manager had to apologize to the customer for the poor service.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I want to apologize her.

  ✓ I want to apologize to her.

  The verb 'apologize' is intransitive in this context and requires the preposition 'to' before the person being addressed.

• ✗ He apologized to me about his mistake.

  ✓ He apologized to me for his mistake.

  We apologize 'to' a person, but 'for' an action, mistake, or event.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It is often hard to ___ when you are proud.

  💡 Say sorry to the person you hurt.

  Show answer

  apologize to someone

• In professional settings, it is crucial to ___ immediately if you make a major error.

  💡 Express formal regret to the affected party.

  Show answer

  apologize to someone