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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for own (up)
Verb
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Eddie Cicotte Another member of the disgraced 1919 White Sox, Cicotte confessed to participating in the scheme to fix the World Series.—
Matt Moret,
New York Times,
14 May 2025 -
In 1989, Erik confessed to his psychologist, whose mistress later reported it to the police.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
14 May 2025
Verb
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However, things got tense when a reporter asked Trump about his decision to admit 59 White South Africans into the United States as refugees earlier this month.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
21 May 2025
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Antoinette Prieto, 29, admitted May 19 to arson and stalking.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
21 May 2025
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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 24 May. 2025.
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