own up

verb

owned up; owning up; owns up

intransitive verb

: to admit to being responsible for something
denied having broken the window, but later owned up
usually used with to
They owned up to having broken the window.

Examples of own up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
One of the key creative minds behind Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is owning up to a pair of casting choices widely decried as racially insensitive. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025 After Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking rookie campaign in the WNBA, one basketball legend is owning up to her thoughts that things would have been tough for the Iowa product. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025 Flavor Flav is owning up to his mistakes — and moving forward. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025 More promising behaviors, on the other hand, include sincerely apologizing, owning up to mistakes, or, at the very least, patiently working through your hesitations together. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for own up

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of own up was in 1844

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Cite this Entry

“Own up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20up. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on own up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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