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
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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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While his girlfriend’s commitment to her studies impressed him, the man admitted that her routine had become a nightly obstacle to his rest.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025 -
When the cremation center staff asked what happened, the partner admitted Aria had been killed by a larger dog.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The victim’s grandson, 17-year-old Jadynn Hamilton, was arrested and charged in connection with her death that evening after allegedly confessing to the crime, per the outlets.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
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Wuornos, a serial killer who confessed to murdering seven men in Florida from 1989 to 1999 before being sentenced to death for her crimes, was dating a woman named Tyria Moore at the time of her murder spree.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The attorney acknowledged investigators found laser pointers in Farzam’s home, but none were blue.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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On Saturday, representatives from APEC's 21 member countries acknowledged challenges facing the global trade system and supply chains in a joint declaration.—
Se Eun Gong,
NPR,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Accessories — a category that Adidas executives have previously conceded needs more work — only rose 1 percent.—
Cathrin Schaer,
Footwear News,
29 Oct. 2025
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Without conceding much, Washington could stop cross-strait antagonisms from descending further and create room for a better trajectory to emerge.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
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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 Nov. 2025.
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