own up
verb
owned up; owning up; owns up
: to admit to being responsible for something
denied having broken the window, but later owned up
—usually used with toThey owned up to having broken the window.
Examples of own up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The deal would combine Perplexity and TikTok U.S., and would allow for the U.S. government to own up to 50 percent of the new company contingent upon a future IPO.
—
Michelle Castillo, CNBC, 10 June 2025
And Answers For Friday, May 23 Last week, the current Labour government announced plans to allow foreign states to own up to 15% of British newspapers.
—Robert Olsen, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
The county owned up to the issue and apologized for the error but is still requiring the owners to pay the missing taxes back in full for the school district.
—Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2025
Another reader advised the OP to stand her ground, especially as her friend refused to own up and apologize for damaging her stuff.
—Erin Clack, People.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for own up
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.
Michelle Castillo, CNBC, 10 June 2025
And Answers For Friday, May 23 Last week, the current Labour government announced plans to allow foreign states to own up to 15% of British newspapers.
—Robert Olsen, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
The county owned up to the issue and apologized for the error but is still requiring the owners to pay the missing taxes back in full for the school district.
—Taylor O’Connor, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2025
Another reader advised the OP to stand her ground, especially as her friend refused to own up and apologize for damaging her stuff.
—Erin Clack, People.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for own up
Cite this Entry
“Own up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20up. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share