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
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According to police, one woman was shot in the extremity, two juvenile males had lower extremity injuries, and an adult male and female with lower extremity injuries were admitted into area hospitals, all with non-life-threatening injuries.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
21 June 2026 -
And whether teschers want to admit it or not, AI plagiarism detectors aren’t all that great, so error rates alone raise doubts about relying on them.—
Michelle L. Quinn,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Hernandez confessed to the crime, a confession his defense team argued was false and borne from mental illness.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
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Chester Weger confessed to the murders of three women in 1960, but was only convicted of one.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
Verb
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Suarez also acknowledged both teams' slow starts, emphasizing the Red Sox's need to contend.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
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Still, Sadeq acknowledged the Ashura ceremony would be much diminished compared with previous years.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
Verb
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Erling Haaland was relentless in his World Cup debut, and the defense regrouped well after conceding in the 4-1 win over Iraq.—
Alex Connor,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
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Curaçao lost the initiative, conceding two goals before halftime in what eventually became a 7-1 defeat to the Germans.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 June 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 25 Jun. 2026.
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