OWN UP Synonyms: 13 Similar and Opposite Words

own (up)

verb

Definition of own (up)

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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for own (up)

Verb

Zeller confessed he was inspired to write the screenplay after reading an article about Meta tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg building an underground bunker in Hawaii.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
On the September 4 episode of Jeff Lewis Live, the Housewife confessed she’s been dating Traitors winner Tamburello for a little while.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of confess

Verb

OpenAI later admitted that several of their AI models had broken out of containment and used a zero-day vulnerability to manipulate the open internet.

— Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026
In 2022, after Foulkes had left CVS, the company agreed to pay $5 billion to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, without admitting wrongdoing.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of admit

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.

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“Own (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/own%20%28up%29. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of own (up)

verb

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