admit

acknowledge, admit, own, avow, confess mean to disclose against one's will or inclination. acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed.

• • acknowledged an earlier peccadillo

admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications.

• • admitted the project was over budget

own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself.

• • must own I know little about computers

avow implies boldly declaring, often in the face of hostility, what one might be expected to be silent about.

• • avowed that he was a revolutionary

confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt.

• • confessed a weakness for sweets