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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for own (up)
Verb
-
Hernandez, of Maple Shade, New Jersey, confessed soon after his brother-in-law told detectives the store clerk may have been a suspect, The New York Times reported.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025 -
In December 1978, Gacy confessed to kidnapping, raping and murdering dozens of boys and men, some as young as 14 years old, and hiding many of their bodies in a crawl space under the house.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Harris admitted the Biden administration made another error by not making Americans’ most pressing needs, such as affordable childcare or paid family leave, its top legislative priority.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Prior to Schleicher’s oncology appointment, she was notified that she would likely be admitted for aggressive treatment on July 31, 2025.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Own (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/own%20%28up%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share