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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Silver also admitted the overwhelming size of this task, given that roughly 80 countries allow betting on the NBA while billions more are wagered illegally.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026 -
Heraskevych admitted he was surprised by the strong reaction.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That includes an encounter with Keegan (Brett Goldstein, wasted), a friendly Brit flying kites on the beach — kites do a lot of symbolic heavy lifting in flashbacks — to whom Laura confesses that boozing was her only way of letting go.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
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Wade Wilson confessed to the savage murders of two women, yet even that brutality failed to repel admirers.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Foster, the prosecutor, acknowledged as much after last year’s sentencing.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Tateishi found his path to activism in the 1970s, as anger swelled among young former detainees about their imprisonment, which the government had yet to acknowledge as an injustice.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His hybrid was designed to preserve the elegance and smooth operation of electric motors while conceding the practical power and range that fuel offered.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026
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Going into Wednesday’s games, the Lakers rank 27th in opposing field goal percentage and 24th in defensive rating, an estimate of the amount of points a team concedes across a 100-possession span.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 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 18 Feb. 2026.
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