English Reference
Idiom idiom

rue the day


To seriously regret one's actions.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

You will rue the day you lied to me.

CONTEXTUAL

If you continue to ignore your health, you will surely rue the day you decided to skip your doctor's appointments.

COMPLEX

The king realized too late that his betrayal of the alliance would cause him to rue the day he chose power over loyalty.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a cold day in July

    The time of occurrence of an event that will never happen.

  2. 02

    a day late and a dollar short

    Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

  3. 03

    a year and a day

    A long time.

  4. 04

    all one's born days

    One's whole life.

  5. 05

    as the day is long

    Unceasingly; very; thoroughly; to a very high degree.

  6. 06

    bad hair day

    A day when things seem to be unmanageable or go wrong.

  7. 07

    bad old days

    The past, seen as a time when things were worse.

  8. 08

    banyan day

    In British naval tradition, a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

Last updated August 10, 2026