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)
Verb
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That line admitting the control-room flub was later scratched from the streaming version.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026 -
Doss runs four two-week sessions a year, each admitting about 30 students with the top scores on a basic adult education exam taken at orientation.—
Claire Rafford,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The couple starts confessing secrets.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2025
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The book chronicles Harpootlian’s firsthand experience prosecuting Gaskins, who was executed in 1991 after confessing to at least 13 murders.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Miller went with a rotation different than his primary starters in the final 14 minutes and complimented the group’s fight while acknowledging the results weren’t pretty.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
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On Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 86-year-old supreme leader who has been in power for 35 years, addressed the latest round of unrest, acknowledging the economic grievances at the heart of public anger.—
CNN Staff,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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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 12 Jan. 2026.
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