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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for owning (up)
Verb
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Bundy was later executed in 1989 after confessing to 30 murders while on death row, just five years after Gein died from a respiratory ailment.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025 -
Nickerson was immediately terminated after confessing to the behavior, McKinzie wrote in an email to the congregation at the time.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This disconnect may also trickle into relationships, with 29% of parents admitting raising kids has caused tension with their partner.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
10 Oct. 2025
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The legal matter of admitting ChatGPT evidence remains mostly uncharted.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
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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 14 Oct. 2025.
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