1
as in admits
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 confesses
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 fesses (up)
Verb
-
Canales admits the loss of Robinson leaves a hole in the defensive line rotation.—
Mike Kaye
March 30,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026 -
Boyde admits the long drives recently have had her thinking more about the war.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Alfie, my hero and king, and Sophie are in the marketplace, and Sophie confesses everything.—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
But strangely, the 28-year-old confesses the transition was relatively smooth.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even Tim Allen, whose Holy Tacos business has benefited greatly from the Meta project, acknowledges how overwhelming the scale of the construction has been for many in what was once a quiet farming community.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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What is missing from Davidson’s missive is a single word, even a syllable, that acknowledges what three-fourths of the world’s nations, the UN and the International Court of Justice have labeled Israeli war crimes in Gaza.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Even the manager concedes that health questions hover over every member of his prospective rotation.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Oosterhoff concedes that psychiatric diagnoses and prognoses are inherently less certain than those of physical illnesses.—
Charles Lane,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fesses (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fesses%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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