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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By its final years, the hall mostly hosted dancing, admitting men for 50 cents and women free of charge.—
Graham Womack
May 2,
Sacbee.com,
2 May 2026 -
The Vikings won’t admit it, but this sure looks like a rebuilding year.—
Charley Walters,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Verb
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In October 2014, TMZ obtained an audio recording of Collins allegedly confessing in a 2012 joint therapy session with then-wife Faye Grant to molesting underage girls.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
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Mashburn-Smith confessed to the crimes and was charged with Unlawful Activity with Certain Minors, the sheriff's office said.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
In April 28 letters to city and state officials, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon demanded that both Denver and Colorado stop enforcing the bans, acknowledge the laws are unconstitutional, and enter into consent decrees to ensure the bans are not enforced.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
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The targeting of Turmus, which Israel acknowledged, demonstrates how, time and again, its military has mastered an intelligence war for which Hezbollah appears to have no answer.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Cole Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting, conceded to remain detained pending further legal proceedings in his case, his attorney said at his detention hearing on Thursday.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Regardless, against an offensive machine as efficient as Cleveland’s, those are the shots the Raptors will concede.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 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 5 May. 2026.
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