FESSING (UP) Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

fessing (up)

verb

present participle of fess (up)

as in admitting

to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly he fessed up to breaking the antique vase only after his guilt was obvious

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as in confessing

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for fessing (up)

Verb

Security budgets follow demonstrated failure, and July produced three demonstrations in ten days, from the three companies with the most to lose by admitting it.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Netflix has been sued after admitting that an unencrypted drive containing an unreleased, hotly anticipated 2026 blockbuster starring Nicolas Cage was stolen from its offices.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026

Definition of admitting

Verb

The second season of the Netflix hit ended on a cliffhanger with Jackie (Rodriguez) and Cole (LaLonde) finally confessing their feelings for each other, but Cole’s brother — and Jackie’s boyfriend — Alex (Gentry) hears the confession.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
During her trial, prosecutors played a recording of Yang confessing to Reuter's murder to a friend who was wearing a wire.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 29 June 2026

Definition of confessing

Verb

Infantino cited unity as the reason for his retreat, acknowledging the plan's unsustainability.

— Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Ahead of the six-month anniversary of her mother’s disappearance, the journalist shared a video to Instagram, acknowledging how much time has passed without any suspects identified.

— Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

Definition of acknowledging

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fesses (up)

fessing (up)

fess (up)

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“Fessing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fessing%20%28up%29. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of fessing (up)

verb

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