1
as in to admit
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly
he fessed up to breaking the antique vase only after his guilt was obvious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to confess
to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid
at first he denied everything, but eventually he realized that he had no choice but to fess up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fess (up)
Verb
-
Struijk’s error was punished, but nobody in white gave a good account of themselves during an opening period in which Daniel Farke admitted there was nervousness in his line-up.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026 -
Google chose to settle without admitting fault.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Audiences were first introduced to Fletcher on season 20 of The Bachelor when Ben Higgins confessed his love for her but ultimately chose Lauren Bushnell over Fletcher.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Throughout the years, Gaff reportedly confessed to attempting to attack up to 30 women and girls in one day in the 1980s and admitted to raping at least eight of them.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dunk acknowledged his error with an apologetic hand gesture to Verbruggen.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The lengthening deployments come as Ukrainian commanders in other units have warned of personnel issues, acknowledging that the army will never match the manpower of Russia’s far larger military force.—
Daria Tarasova-Markina,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The defence that conceded just 16 goals in 46 Championship matches last season — an English League record — has been breached 68 times in 34 Premier League games, looking far too easy to score against.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Inter Miami’s defense has been vulnerable all season and conceded two goals in each of its past four games.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fess (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fess%20%28up%29. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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