Meaning of regret In English

• 0 a feeling of sadness about something sad or wrong or about a mistake that you have made, and a wish that it could have been different and better:

  • I left school at 16, but I've had a great life and I have no regrets.

  • The manager expressed deep regret at/for the number of staff reductions.

  • We think, much to our regret (= and we are very sorry about this), that we will not be able to visit you next year.

  • We did have an invitation, but we had to send Graham our regrets.

• 1 to feel sorry about a situation, especially something sad or wrong or a mistake that you have made:

  • Is there anything you've done in your life that you regret?

  • [ + -ing verb ] I have always regretted not having studied harder at school.

  • [ + (that) ] formal The council regrets (that) the money to subsidize the youth club is no longer available.

  • [ + to infinitive ] formal British Airways regret to announce the cancellation of flight BA205 to Madrid.

• 2 to feel sorry or unhappy about something you did or were unable to do:

  • [ T ] He regretted his decision to leave school.

  • [ + (that) clause ] I regret (that) I didn’t buy more when they were on sale.

  • [ T ] I’m going to regret eating all those nachos.

  • [ + (that) clause ] My husband regrets (that) he couldn’t be here tonight.

  • [ + to infinitive ] The weather, I regret to say, is getting worse.