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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for owning (up)
Verb
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The second season of the Netflix hit ended on a cliffhanger with Jackie finally confessing her feelings to Cole, but Alex hearing the confession.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025 -
In the season 7 premiere, it was revealed that Natalie was fired after confessing to stealing medication for her ailing mother.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rather than take a chance with a jury, the state of Michigan decided to settle the case, but without admitting liability.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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Russia has long argued that one of its reasons for going to war in Ukraine was to prevent NATO from admitting Kyiv as a member and placing its forces in Ukraine.—
Vladimir Soldatkin,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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