(regretted, regretting)with obj.
1- feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity)懊悔, 后悔, 遗憾：
she immediately regretted her words
她话一出口马上就后悔了
with clause I always regretted that I never trained.我一直懊悔从不锻炼。
1.1
- used in polite formulas to express apology for or sadness over something bad or unpleasant致歉或表示惋惜为…抱歉; 为…惋惜：
any inconvenience to readers is regretted
对给读者带来的任何不便, 我们表示歉意
with clause we regret that no tickets may be exchanged.对不起, 不能换票。
1.2
- archaic feel sorrow for the loss or absence of (something pleasant)〈古〉对（损失或缺乏）感到痛惜：
my home, when shall I cease to regret you!
我的家乡哟, 何时能让我不为你痛惜！
mass noun
1- a feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done懊悔, 后悔; 遗憾; 惋惜, 痛惜：
she expressed her regret at Virginia's death
她对弗吉尼亚逝世表示痛惜
he had to decline, to his regret.
他不得不遗憾地拒绝。
1.1
- （常作regrets）an instance or cause of such a feeling遗憾, 后悔：
she had few regrets in leaving the house.
离开这座房子时, 她并无太多遗憾。
1.2
- （常作one's regrets）used in polite formulas to express apology for or sadness at an occurrence or an inability to accept an invitation［用于致歉或表示惋惜, 或表示不能接受邀请］歉意; 遗憾：
please give your grandmother my regrets.
请向您祖母转达我的歉意。
词源
late Middle English: from Old French regreter 'bewail (the dead)', perhaps from the Germanic base of GREET2.