as in to confess
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for own (up)
Verb
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The suspect previously confessed to the crime and has never claimed to be innocent.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
16 Mar. 2026 -
Windley and his family did their own investigations after his conviction to pin down the identity of the two robbers and pressure them to do the right thing and confess, hiring a private investigator to help them.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The hospital, which admitted Bolsonaro with high fever, sweating and chills, has also said that his inflammatory markers are increased.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
In Rhode Island, again, public testimony is only admitted at the discretion of the committee chair.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Own (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/own%20%28up%29. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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