fessed (up)

verb

past tense of fess (up)
1
as in admitted
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 confessed
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 fessed (up)
  1. admitted
  2. confessed
  3. acknowledged
  4. conceded
Verb
  • While speaking with Fox News Digital, Ramsay admitted that his own pursuit of perfection in the kitchen had come at a cost.
    — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Wright admitted his confidence was shaken last season when a knee injury hindered his development, and limited his opportunities early.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of admitted
Verb
  • Police said Sierra confessed to the killings during questioning.
    — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • After Harrelson confessed his feelings to Louie, the two began dating and eventually welcomed three daughters.
    — Emma Kershaw, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of confessed
Verb
  • Northrop Grumman acknowledged Boeing’s selection after competing for the program.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Iñárritu acknowledged that some days the experiment just didn’t work.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of acknowledged
Verb
  • The network apologized; Rather defended the report initially but conceded after several weeks that the materials should not have been used.
    — Walter Podrazik, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Mark Klukow, assistant chief of operations with the law enforcement agency, acknowledged the issues and conceded there was mismanagement in the past.
    — Ashley Grams, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of conceded
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

fervor
fessed (up)
fesses (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Fessed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fessed%20%28up%29. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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