as in to confess
to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid
had a strong suspicion about which coworker stole her food from the office fridge, but the likely culprit refused to own up
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for own (up)
Verb
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That includes an encounter with Keegan (Brett Goldstein, wasted), a friendly Brit flying kites on the beach — kites do a lot of symbolic heavy lifting in flashbacks — to whom Laura confesses that boozing was her only way of letting go.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026 -
Wade Wilson confessed to the savage murders of two women, yet even that brutality failed to repel admirers.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Silver also admitted the overwhelming size of this task, given that roughly 80 countries allow betting on the NBA while billions more are wagered illegally.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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Heraskevych admitted he was surprised by the strong reaction.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Own (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/own%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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