OWNING (UP) Synonyms: 13 Similar and Opposite Words

owning (up)

verb

present participle of own (up)

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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for owning (up)

Verb

Dylan gives a subtle warning for Alex to stay away from Kylie, but Alex was still close to confessing his evolved feelings for her.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
Nikki Rodriguez’s character might still technically be dating Alex, but that isn’t stopping her from flirting with his brother after confessing her love in the season 2 finale.

— Kat Pettibone, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of confessing

Verb

Blowing Oleksa’s cover would mean publicly admitting that there are five senators on her asset list — one of whom was seduced into posing for some, uh, compromising photographs.

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026
Asked if his new costars are more talented than the JoBros when they were cast in the 2008 film, Nick is perfectly comfortable with admitting the obvious.

— Allison DeGrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of admitting

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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owning

owning (up)

owning (up to)

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“Owning (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/owning%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of owning (up)

verb

Example Sentences

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