fessing (up)

verb

present participle of fess (up)
1
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fessing (up)
  1. admitting
  2. confessing
  3. acknowledging
Verb
  • Reddit is best known as a forum for discussing how to retire in your thirties, trade conspiracy theories about medical school being a psyop, and gossip about which influencer is taking a GLP-1 but not admitting it.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026
  • San Vicente Bungalows, his private club, is rumored to maintain a policy against admitting Housewives as members.
    — Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of admitting
Verb
  • Dylan gives a subtle warning for Alex to stay away from Kylie, but Alex was still close to confessing his evolved feelings for her.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Nikki Rodriguez’s character might still technically be dating Alex, but that isn’t stopping her from flirting with his brother after confessing her love in the season 2 finale.
    — Kat Pettibone, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of confessing
Verb
  • Raskin opened the missive by acknowledging that Paramount has not responded to his four previous inquiries in the past 12 months.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Mark Kelly hopes to see historical markers placed in a park or along a walking trail in the subdivision acknowledging the history of the land.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of acknowledging
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

fesses (up)
fessing (up)
fess (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Fessing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fessing%20%28up%29. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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