To repent means to feel genuinely sorry for something wrong you've done and to decide to change your behavior. When you repent, you truly regret your actions and commit to doing better, going beyond a simple apology meant to avoid punishment.

The word appears often in religious contexts, where it means turning away from sin and seeking forgiveness from God. In Christian teachings, for example, repentance involves acknowledging your mistakes, asking for forgiveness, and making a sincere effort to live differently. But you can use the word outside of religion too: a person might repent for lying to a friend or for being unkind to a sibling.

What makes repentance different from a simple apology is its depth and seriousness. If you accidentally bump into someone and say “sorry,” that's not repenting. But if you've been bullying a classmate for weeks and finally realize how much pain you've caused, feel terrible about it, apologize sincerely, and resolve never to do it again, that's closer to true repentance.

The related noun is repentance: “His repentance seemed genuine when he worked hard to make things right.” Someone who repents is sometimes called repentant or penitent.