apologies

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of apology.

   The senator's public apologies failed to satisfy his critics.

   After the mix-up, the airline sent written apologies to every passenger.

   Note

   A plural that carries every meaning of its singular, not just the familiar one. Beside expressions of regret, apologies can be formal justifications, the defenses a writer offers for a cause or belief. More rarely, they can be makeshifts offered in place of the real thing. Context usually settles it: apologies made to someone are regrets, while apologies written for a position are defenses.

2. 2
   interjectionabbreviationellipsis

   Ellipsis of my apologies.

   Apologies, I didn't realize this seat was taken.

   Apologies for the noise. The workers next door started early again.

   Note

   The bare word works as a complete reply, with my simply left off. Like the full phrase, it can express regret, and then it takes for: apologies for the delay. It can also mark a correction in mid-speech: the meeting is Tuesday; apologies, Wednesday. Standing alone at the start of a sentence, it reads as an apology spoken aloud, not as a plural noun.

3. 3
   nouncountableplural

   The names of those who have sent word that they cannot attend a meeting, usually noted as the first item on the agenda.

   Like a roll call in reverse: naming who won't be there rather than who is.

   The chair noted the apologies and then moved straight to the minutes.

   Apologies were recorded from three governors who could not make the session.

   Note

   Minute-taking turns the word into a fixed agenda heading. It exists only in the plural and takes a plural verb. The usual collocations are procedural: the chair notes the apologies, and apologies are received or recorded from named members. Because it opens the agenda, it is dealt with before the minutes and any other business.

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