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 myth has been debunked — a publicity agent confessed in 2010 that the company made it up.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
17 June 2025 -
Randle allegedly confessed to lying about the kidnapping, CBS News reported, citing charging documents.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2025
Verb
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Nobody admits that all this activity serves as cover for avoiding the work that scares us: making real decisions, shipping imperfect products, having difficult conversations.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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Adler responded by encouraging others to express interest in running the simulation for their organization (there is a form to fill out), but admitted that forecasts and predictions are hard.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
26 June 2025
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“Own (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/own%20%28up%29. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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