1
as in admitting
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 confessing
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 fessing (up)
Verb
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Unfortunately, admitting mistakes doesn’t come easily for many people.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026 -
If a hospital got too full, the admitting office canceled elective admissions.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Robinson left a handwritten note for his romantic partner confessing to the crime, and also confessed to friends on the chat room platform Discord, prosecutors said.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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Josh goes to prison and serves an eight-year sentence after falsely confessing to Park's crimes.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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O'Hara has met with Lussier's family, acknowledging shortfalls but also pointing out that staffing levels and caseloads placed an extraordinary burden on officers at the time.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Today is a day for acknowledging that this team appears to have a knack for the comeback.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fessing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fessing%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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