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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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 -
There's been lingering romantic tension between Crudup's UBA exec Cory Ellison and Witherspoon's anchor Bradley Jackson since early on in the Apple TV+ series, and despite Cory confessing his love for Bradley in season 2, things haven't quite worked out for them — yet.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For head coach John Harbaugh, the offense hasn’t been much of an issue, despite admitting that the run game needs work ahead of next week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
23 Sep. 2025
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Kamala Harris said Tuesday that her widely criticized 2024 appearance on The View wasn’t what cost her the election, despite admitting that the moment hurt her campaign.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 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 29 Sep. 2025.
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