1
as in to admit
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly
he fessed up to breaking the antique vase only after his guilt was obvious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to confess
to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid
at first he denied everything, but eventually he realized that he had no choice but to fess up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fess (up)
Verb
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The Trump administration admitted that lowering the cost of everyday goods would take longer than initially promised, but the president blamed Biden's policies' lingering impact.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025 -
Holloway also admitted to making and distributing indecent images of children, while Wilson also admitted rape, assault by penetration and making indecent photographs of children.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The suspect, Fahad Noori, who is originally from Afghanistan, purportedly confessed to investigators that the act was deliberate.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2025
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Ashraf Tawfik, 60, showed up at headquarters at 12:14 p.m. Friday and confessed, East Brunswick police said in a statement.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Trump administration to acknowledge only a person’s gender assigned at birth, officials say Human biology is complex, and not all individuals fit neatly into binary categories, Evans told ABC News.—
Dr. Allia Vaez,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Schiffer concluded Wednesday’s hearing by acknowledging that Syed was given a second chance and has shown progress.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The move inevitably would be divisive, as Shapiro conceded, and would likely be cast as political.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
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In four of the five matches the team has played this season, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris hasn’t conceded a goal.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fess (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fess%20%28up%29. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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