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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An 89-72 win over the expansion Portland Fire on Sunday to close a 1-2 homestand felt more necessary than the Sparks might have wanted to admit.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026 -
Trying to process what had happened was difficult in the immediate aftermath, Calzini admits.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Randle was seen crying on multiple occasions as evidence was presented, including recordings of her confessing to hitting Dinkins.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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Napper, who investigators believe was struggling from years of intense mental illness, eventually confessed to Nickell’s murder.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
6 June 2026
Verb
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California election officials have acknowledged that the vote-counting process regularly takes longer in the Golden State due to the prevalence of mail-in ballots.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
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At Saint-Gobain, Soritsch-Renier acknowledges that the workforce is often less literate from a technology perspective, as the organization is an industrial business focused on construction materials and, as such, hasn’t been called to embrace technology at the same level as other industries.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
Verb
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According to some analyses, the rule led to more defensive and cautious play from players too afraid to concede the game-winning goal, despite the intention of the rule to encourage more exciting play in extra time.—
Kierra Frazier,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
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Novo Nordisk acknowledges the side effects without conceding the label needs to say more.—
Ryan Brennan
June 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 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 12 Jun. 2026.
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