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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for owning (up)
admitting
Verb
-
Harvick commented on the setback, admitting that Blaney was in a powerful car but pointed out that this was his second motor to go up.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025 -
Model vulnerability by admitting your missteps, demonstrating that open communication is valued.—
Michael D. Watkins,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Owning (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/owning%20%28up%29. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share