moment of weakness

moment of weakness

A moment when one fails to have the discipline to act according to one's principles or better judgment and instead does something regrettable. I admit that, in a moment of weakness, I accepted a bribe to allow development to proceed without proper safety measures in place. I'm so sorry I cheated on you. It was a moment of weakness, and I'm ashamed of what I did.
See also: moment, of, weakness
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • a weak moment
  • weak moment
  • weak moment, in a
  • in a moment of weakness
  • in a weak moment
  • be remembered as (something)
  • be remembered as/for something
  • be replaced by (someone or something)
  • be replaced with (someone or something)
  • (one's) old man
References in periodicals archive
IN a moment of weakness it's easy to take advantage of an admirer but if you knew he carried a flame for you then you shouldn't have led him on.
The 11th seed smashed his racket on to his foot twice in frustration after he failed to capitalize on a rare moment of weakness by Nadal in the second game of the second set.
Okay, so in a moment of weakness, I bought a single-shot Marlin Model 10, most likely of pre-WWII vintage due to the lack of the date stamping on any metal.
The former Atomic Kitten singer has since said she was "ashamed" of her "moment of weakness and stupidity and I regret it terribly".
* European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot admits that he labeled Macedonia "Northern Macedonia" in moment of weakness and he admits that this was mistake.
But Spurs midfielder Jenas believes the turnaround was set in motion by a moment of weakness from the referee.
Dylan has kept this secret even from her best friends Pilar, MayBe and Thea, but in a moment of weakness she ends up telling Cate, the new girl in school.
Leave them in your purse or wallet, and you might use them in a moment of weakness.
In a moment of weakness, which describes most of my moments, I once purchased three dozen boxes of Girl Scout cookies from a coworker's daughter.
The first two times I scrambled to deny it all when they reacted negatively, blaming it on a moment of weakness.
Weary from the difficult transition to liberation, the Israelites demand the comforts of slavery rather than God's nourishment; in a moment of weakness, they are happy to trade the possibility of freedom for a few leeks and cucumbers.
Seven years back, Duffy landed a deal with Miramax to make "The Boondock Saints," a bit of sub-Tarantino nonsense that got Weinsteined-and-dined in a moment of weakness. Harv supposedly even promised to buy the West Hollywood bar where Troy was working, and there was talk of a record deal for the gruff-rock band he ran with his brother.
Presumably, the danger is that; in a moment of weakness, a school official otherwise will mistakenly hire such an applicant rather than an appropriately trained teacher.
A spokesman for the family estate at Arbury Hall, on the outskirts of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, said he must have taken the heroin 'in a moment of weakness' following the death of Lord Daventry.
my manhood is facing a huge test, that a mere moment of weakness I show will be sufficient to make me despised till the moment I die"(17).