admit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
admits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
admitted,
past participle, past
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admitting
present participle
-
to allow to enter; grant or afford entrance to.
to admit a student to college.
- Synonyms:
- receive
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to give right or means of entrance to.
This ticket admits two people.
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to register (a person) as an inpatient at a hospital.
After seeing the test results, the emergency room doctor admitted her and put her on intravenous fluids.
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to permit to exercise a certain function or privilege.
admitted to the bar.
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to permit; allow.
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to allow or concede as valid.
to admit the force of an argument.
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to acknowledge; confess.
He admitted his guilt.
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to grant in argument; concede.
The fact is admitted.
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to have capacity for.
This passage admits two abreast.
verb (used without object)
-
admits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
admitted,
past participle, past
-
admitting
present participle
-
to permit entrance; give access.
This door admits to the garden.
-
to permit the possibility of something; allow (usually followed byof ).
The contract admits of no other interpretation.
verb
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(may take a clause as object) to confess or acknowledge (a crime, mistake, etc)
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(may take a clause as object) to concede (the truth or validity of something)
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to allow to enter; let in
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(foll by to) to allow participation (in) or the right to be part (of)
to admit to the profession
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to allow (of); leave room (for)
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(intr) to give access
the door admits onto the lawn
Synonym Usage
See acknowledge.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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admitternoun
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readmitverb
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preadmitverb (used with object)
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admittableadjective
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admittibleadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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admitsimple
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admitssimple
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have admittedperfect
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has admittedperfect
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am admittingprogressive
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are admittingprogressive
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is admittingprogressive
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have been admittingperfect progressive
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has been admittingperfect progressive
Past
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admittedsimple
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had admittedperfect
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was admittingprogressive
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were admittingprogressive
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had been admittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of admit
First recorded in 1375–1425; from Latin admittere, from ad- ad- + mittere “to send, let go”; replacing late Middle English amitte, with a- a- 5 instead of ad-, from Middle French amettre, from Latin, as above
Explanation
When you admit something, you confess that it happened. It wasn't easy to admit that you'd broken the vase, but how else could you explain that your hand was glued to it? Besides meaning "confess," admit can also mean "let in," like a theater ticket that says "ADMIT ONE." If you admit that you have a bag of popcorn hidden in your backpack, you might not be admitted to the movie. A doorway admits you into a room, and if a room can hold up to 50 people, that room admits 50. You can even use admit for metaphorical entrances, like the way your wild style admits you into high fashion circles.
Vocabulary lists containing admit
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Evans believes increasing numbers of his male patients are taking weight-loss drugs but are reluctant to admit it, even to medical professionals.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
I never became “unrecognizable,” and I spent more time than I’d like to admit looking at myself in the mirror and comparing what I saw to photos of the younger, fatter version of myself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
They did, however, admit their soldiers had been at the Mall of Africa on the date in question, but said they had been there for a training exercise.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
She would have to admit that she’s being wickedly selfish.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
“I might train for it, too,” I admit.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
He says he has not missed gruelling pre-season training drills, but admits to "a hint of sadness" because "that's a big part of my life that I'm going to miss being involved in".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“I anticipate a lot of criticism,” Rideaux admits, adding that 10 years in the music industry have prepared him for the scrutiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
When a brooding Pitt admits he’s had trouble with “family stuff,” the writer lets the sentiment disintegrate.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Isikli admits to a certain respect for the old guardian.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“We don’t hang out as much lately,” Malik admits.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Within the first 40 days after patients were admitted to the hospital, the researchers identified 11 reactivated viruses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
He professed a fondness for Tupac Shakur and electronic dance music, discussed UFO sightings around U.S. military installations and admitted his ideal fall Saturday involves spending hours watching college football.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
In an interview with The Times earlier this month, Arday admitted making academic "mistakes" but said he was being wrongly "portrayed to be a liar and a fantasist".
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
The author admitted her mistake, and future editions will be corrected, but water use is still the first concern opponents mention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The existing slave states wanted any new territories to be admitted into the Union with slavery allowed.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Two days later, she told POLITICO’s Irie Sentner that it was her “favorite holiday” while admitting, “I’m kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to holidays in general.”
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Martin was in good spirits on opening night, only days after admitting online that he has “battled sadness and depression” amid a “stressful” and “overwhelming” year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"This is the first step of a long walk towards absolute and authentic equality. I choose to be optimistic," she said, admitting the vote had made her "more hopeful."
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Through the 1990s, enrollment hovered around 500 but in 2001 it began admitting men, expanded its sports program and boosted enrollment to nearly 2,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
He had been afraid of coming to terms with himself, of admitting the whole truth.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
