diff --git a/Lib/re/__init__.py b/Lib/re/__init__.py
index 7e8abbf6ffe155..8c5dd18e938633 100644
--- a/Lib/re/__init__.py
+++ b/Lib/re/__init__.py
@@ -164,17 +164,17 @@ class RegexFlag:
 def match(pattern, string, flags=0):
     """Try to apply the pattern at the start of the string, returning
     a Match object, or None if no match was found."""
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).match(string)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).match(string)
 
 def fullmatch(pattern, string, flags=0):
     """Try to apply the pattern to all of the string, returning
     a Match object, or None if no match was found."""
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).fullmatch(string)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).fullmatch(string)
 
 def search(pattern, string, flags=0):
     """Scan through string looking for a match to the pattern, returning
     a Match object, or None if no match was found."""
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).search(string)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).search(string)
 
 class _ZeroSentinel(int):
     pass
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ def sub(pattern, repl, string, *args, count=_zero_sentinel, flags=_zero_sentinel
             DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2
         )
 
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).sub(repl, string, count)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).sub(repl, string, count)
 sub.__text_signature__ = '(pattern, repl, string, count=0, flags=0)'
 
 def subn(pattern, repl, string, *args, count=_zero_sentinel, flags=_zero_sentinel):
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ def subn(pattern, repl, string, *args, count=_zero_sentinel, flags=_zero_sentine
             DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2
         )
 
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).subn(repl, string, count)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).subn(repl, string, count)
 subn.__text_signature__ = '(pattern, repl, string, count=0, flags=0)'
 
 def split(pattern, string, *args, maxsplit=_zero_sentinel, flags=_zero_sentinel):
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ def split(pattern, string, *args, maxsplit=_zero_sentinel, flags=_zero_sentinel)
             DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2
         )
 
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).split(string, maxsplit)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).split(string, maxsplit)
 split.__text_signature__ = '(pattern, string, maxsplit=0, flags=0)'
 
 def findall(pattern, string, flags=0):
@@ -275,60 +275,17 @@ def findall(pattern, string, flags=0):
     has more than one group.
 
     Empty matches are included in the result."""
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).findall(string)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).findall(string)
 
 def finditer(pattern, string, flags=0):
     """Return an iterator over all non-overlapping matches in the
     string.  For each match, the iterator returns a Match object.
 
     Empty matches are included in the result."""
-    return _compile(pattern, flags).finditer(string)
+    return compile(pattern, flags).finditer(string)
 
 def compile(pattern, flags=0):
-    "Compile a regular expression pattern, returning a Pattern object."
-    return _compile(pattern, flags)
-
-def purge():
-    "Clear the regular expression caches"
-    _cache.clear()
-    _cache2.clear()
-    _compile_template.cache_clear()
-
-
-# SPECIAL_CHARS
-# closing ')', '}' and ']'
-# '-' (a range in character set)
-# '&', '~', (extended character set operations)
-# '#' (comment) and WHITESPACE (ignored) in verbose mode
-_special_chars_map = {i: '\\' + chr(i) for i in b'()[]{}?*+-|^$\\.&~# \t\n\r\v\f'}
-
-def escape(pattern):
-    """
-    Escape special characters in a string.
-    """
-    if isinstance(pattern, str):
-        return pattern.translate(_special_chars_map)
-    else:
-        pattern = str(pattern, 'latin1')
-        return pattern.translate(_special_chars_map).encode('latin1')
-
-Pattern = type(_compiler.compile('', 0))
-Match = type(_compiler.compile('', 0).match(''))
-
-# --------------------------------------------------------------------
-# internals
-
-# Use the fact that dict keeps the insertion order.
-# _cache2 uses the simple FIFO policy which has better latency.
-# _cache uses the LRU policy which has better hit rate.
-_cache = {}  # LRU
-_cache2 = {}  # FIFO
-_MAXCACHE = 512
-_MAXCACHE2 = 256
-assert _MAXCACHE2 < _MAXCACHE
-
-def _compile(pattern, flags):
-    # internal: compile pattern
+    """Compile a regular expression pattern, returning a Pattern object."""
     if isinstance(flags, RegexFlag):
         flags = flags.value
     try:
@@ -371,6 +328,45 @@ def _compile(pattern, flags):
     _cache2[key] = p
     return p
 
+def purge():
+    "Clear the regular expression caches"
+    _cache.clear()
+    _cache2.clear()
+    _compile_template.cache_clear()
+
+
+# SPECIAL_CHARS
+# closing ')', '}' and ']'
+# '-' (a range in character set)
+# '&', '~', (extended character set operations)
+# '#' (comment) and WHITESPACE (ignored) in verbose mode
+_special_chars_map = {i: '\\' + chr(i) for i in b'()[]{}?*+-|^$\\.&~# \t\n\r\v\f'}
+
+def escape(pattern):
+    """
+    Escape special characters in a string.
+    """
+    if isinstance(pattern, str):
+        return pattern.translate(_special_chars_map)
+    else:
+        pattern = str(pattern, 'latin1')
+        return pattern.translate(_special_chars_map).encode('latin1')
+
+Pattern = type(_compiler.compile('', 0))
+Match = type(_compiler.compile('', 0).match(''))
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+# internals
+
+# Use the fact that dict keeps the insertion order.
+# _cache2 uses the simple FIFO policy which has better latency.
+# _cache uses the LRU policy which has better hit rate.
+_cache = {}  # LRU
+_cache2 = {}  # FIFO
+_MAXCACHE = 512
+_MAXCACHE2 = 256
+assert _MAXCACHE2 < _MAXCACHE
+
 @functools.lru_cache(_MAXCACHE)
 def _compile_template(pattern, repl):
     # internal: compile replacement pattern
@@ -381,9 +377,12 @@ def _compile_template(pattern, repl):
 import copyreg
 
 def _pickle(p):
-    return _compile, (p.pattern, p.flags)
+    return compile, (p.pattern, p.flags)
+
+# compatibility alias to deserialize old pickles
+_compile = compile
 
-copyreg.pickle(Pattern, _pickle, _compile)
+copyreg.pickle(Pattern, _pickle, compile)
 
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------
 # experimental stuff (see python-dev discussions for details)
diff --git a/Lib/re/_parser.py b/Lib/re/_parser.py
index 0990255b22c219..0330805e63804d 100644
--- a/Lib/re/_parser.py
+++ b/Lib/re/_parser.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 # XXX: show string offset and offending character for all errors
 
+import os
 from ._constants import *
 
 SPECIAL_CHARS = ".\\[{()*+?^$|"
@@ -508,6 +509,8 @@ def _parse_sub(source, state, verbose, nested):
     subpattern.append((BRANCH, (None, items)))
     return subpattern
 
+_warn_skips = (os.path.dirname(__file__),)
+
 def _parse(source, state, verbose, nested, first=False):
     # parse a simple pattern
     subpattern = SubPattern(state)
@@ -557,7 +560,7 @@ def _parse(source, state, verbose, nested, first=False):
                 import warnings
                 warnings.warn(
                     'Possible nested set at position %d' % source.tell(),
-                    FutureWarning, stacklevel=nested + 6
+                    FutureWarning, skip_file_prefixes=_warn_skips
                 )
             negate = sourcematch("^")
             # check remaining characters
@@ -580,7 +583,7 @@ def _parse(source, state, verbose, nested, first=False):
                                 'symmetric difference' if this == '~' else
                                 'union',
                                 source.tell() - 1),
-                            FutureWarning, stacklevel=nested + 6
+                            FutureWarning, skip_file_prefixes=_warn_skips
                         )
                     code1 = LITERAL, _ord(this)
                 if sourcematch("-"):
@@ -603,7 +606,7 @@ def _parse(source, state, verbose, nested, first=False):
                             warnings.warn(
                                 'Possible set difference at position %d' % (
                                     source.tell() - 2),
-                                FutureWarning, stacklevel=nested + 6
+                                FutureWarning, skip_file_prefixes=_warn_skips
                             )
                         code2 = LITERAL, _ord(that)
                     if code1[0] != LITERAL or code2[0] != LITERAL:
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_re.py b/Lib/test/test_re.py
index ff95f54026e172..53739ff6e28121 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_re.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_re.py
@@ -1362,8 +1362,23 @@ def test_pickling(self):
             pickled = pickle.dumps(oldpat, proto)
             newpat = pickle.loads(pickled)
             self.assertEqual(newpat, oldpat)
-        # current pickle expects the _compile() reconstructor in re module
+
+    def test_unpickling(self):
+        import pickle
+        pat = re.compile(".*")
         from re import _compile  # noqa: F401
+        # previous pickles may expect the _compile() reconstructor in re module.
+        # the four pickles below are examples of this at various protocol versions.
+        pickles = [
+            b'cre\n_compile\np0\n(V.*\np1\nI32\ntp2\nRp3\n.',
+            b'cre\n_compile\nq\x00(X\x02\x00\x00\x00.*q\x01K tq\x02Rq\x03.',
+            b'\x80\x03cre\n_compile\nq\x00X\x02\x00\x00\x00.*q\x01K \x86q\x02Rq\x03.',
+            b'\x80\x04\x95\x1e\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x8c\x02re\x94\x8c\x08'
+            b'_compile\x94\x93\x94\x8c\x02.*\x94K \x86\x94R\x94.',
+        ]
+        for pickled in pickles:
+            unpickled = pickle.loads(pickled)
+            self.assertEqual(unpickled, pat)
 
     def test_copying(self):
         import copy
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2024-08-04-13-22-32.gh-issue-122358.wpnaq4.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2024-08-04-13-22-32.gh-issue-122358.wpnaq4.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..2f66bd07c1a9e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2024-08-04-13-22-32.gh-issue-122358.wpnaq4.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Remove :func:`!re._compile`, leaving a compatibility alias to :func:`re.compile`.