FESS Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

fess (up)

verb

ˈfes

Definition of fess (up)

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

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

The first of the 12 steps is admitting that your relationship with your vice has become unmanageable.

— Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Smith was transported to the jail by the deputies, but the jail medical staff would not admit him due to the injury, the suit alleges.

— Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of admit

Verb

After detectives confronted her with information from Hanfield, Arstil confessed that the two women were at the apartment complex that night looking to rob someone.

— Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Disarmed by his stepson’s surprise appearance, Morgan confesses to being the cheater.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of confess

Verb

But all five nations also maintain significant commercial and diplomatic links with Russia and, to varying extents, China and Iran, a fact that Rubio acknowledged.

— Reuters, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
So many people make a deal with the devil, compromising their principles, and are not able to acknowledge it to others or to themselves.

— Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of acknowledge

Verb

Fielder is not conventionally attractive, concedes Breca, a 26-year-old bisexual man in Pennsylvania, but the filmmaker’s salt-and-pepper hair and stubble did something for Breca nonetheless.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Vena said the current task is proving service is strong enough to hold customers trying rail, simultaneously conceding that not all will stay.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of concede

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fessing (up)

fess (up)

fest

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fess (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fess%20%28up%29. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fess (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

puissant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes