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
-
The victim’s grandson, 17-year-old Jadynn Hamilton, was arrested and charged in connection with her death that evening after allegedly confessing to the crime, per the outlets.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 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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Making room for levity is, then, a way of admitting the human—not through the granular and intimate detail that lends Ferrante’s novels their power but through a broader concession to nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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State officials agreed to pay $85,000 to the plaintiffs in that case without admitting wrongdoing, though the state law that previously banned gender identity discrimination is no longer in effect.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
6 Nov. 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 5 Dec. 2025.
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