own up
verb
owned up; owning up; owns up
: to admit to being responsible for something
denied having broken the window, but later owned up
—usually used with toThey owned up to having broken the window.
Examples of own up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Before the August 2025 move to the big house, aka the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Miami, Thomas owned up to his transgressions.
—
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Oddly, Southern states have lately been the most active in owning up to their educational deficiencies.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
When The View returned, Goldberg addressed the nation and owned up to her mistake.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
The singer reflected on how her family hasn’t owned up to their part in her conservatorship.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for own up
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Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Oddly, Southern states have lately been the most active in owning up to their educational deficiencies.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 26 Feb. 2026
When The View returned, Goldberg addressed the nation and owned up to her mistake.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
The singer reflected on how her family hasn’t owned up to their part in her conservatorship.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for own up
Cite this Entry
“Own up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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