fess up

verb

fessed up; fessing up; fesses up
chiefly US, informal
: to admit that one has done something wrong : confess
At first he denied everything, but eventually he fessed up.
He finally fessed up about his involvement.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fess up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fess%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster