admission

American  

[ad-mish-uhn] / ædˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

admissions plural

1. the act of allowing to enter; entrance granted by permission, by provision or existence of pecuniary means, or by the removal of obstacles.

   the admission of foreign aid workers into the zone of active conflict.

2. right or permission to enter.

   granting admission to the rare books room.

   Synonyms:

   access

3. the price paid for entrance, as to a theater or ball park.

4. an act or condition of being received or accepted in a position, profession, occupation, or office; appointment.

   admission to the bar.

5. confession of a charge, an error, or a crime; acknowledgment.

   His admission of the theft solved the mystery.

6. an acknowledgment of the truth of something.

7. a point or statement admitted; concession.

---

admission British  

/ ədˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. permission to enter or the right, authority, etc, to enter

2. the price charged for entrance

3. acceptance for a position, office, etc

4. a confession, as of a crime, mistake, etc

5. an acknowledgment of the truth or validity of something

---

Usage

What is an admission? An admission is entrance by permission or the removal of obstacles to entry, as in The admission of girls into the science program has been a long time coming. Admission is also a right or permission to enter, as in Only employees have admission to the backstage area. Admission can also be the price paid in order to enter, as at a sports or theater event. An admission can also be a confession or acknowledgement of the truth, as when you admit that you were the one who broke your mother’s favorite dish. Example: Just the first act of the play was worth the price of admission.

Synonym Usage

See entrance ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonadmission
  noun
• readmission
  noun
• admissive
  adjective
• proadmission
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• admissions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of admission

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French and Latin admissiōn- (stem of admissiō ), equivalent to admiss-, past participial stem of the verb admittere admit + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If you pay admission, you're paying a fee in order to attend something, like an event or a movie. After you pay admission to the movie theater, you head straight to the popcorn stand. The noun admission stems from the Latin word admissionem, meaning "a letting in." It often refers to a fee charged for entry, but it can also describe the process of being granted entry. The university's admission of the new student was welcome news — now he has access to the school's research facilities. An admission can also be a confession that something is true, such as your brother's surly admission that he was the one who popped your bike tire.

Example Sentences

Admission is free for hotel guests or included with any spa treatment, which range from a $295 Green Peel facial to a two-hour Ritual del Amor couples massage for $1,495.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Admission is free, no reservations necessary, so be bold in your choices.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

A decade ago it was 48% and in 2025 it was 62%, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council, a nonprofit that tracks application trends.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Admission for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games will be among the tickets on offer.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

Admission was a nickel a head or a can of food for the hungry.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• accession
• admittance
• assertion
• concession
• confirmation
• disclosure
• revelation
• statement
• testimony