as in confessing
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 owning (up)
Verb
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California metal vets Neurosis have surprised-released An Undying Love for a Burning World, their first album in a decade, and first since co-founder Scott Kelly left the band after confessing to domestic abuse.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
20 Mar. 2026 -
The emergence of the mysterious key in Homer and Plumb’s possession has spooked him off from confessing any further.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nardi wasn’t shy about admitting how tough the recovery process was both physically and mentally.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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In 2004, a former journalist for El Mercurio published a letter in The Clinic admitting her failure to report on human rights violations and remembering colleagues who had been disappeared for their work.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Owning (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/owning%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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