admit

[ad-mit]

verb (used with object)

admitted, admitting 

1. to allow to enter; grant or afford entrance to.

   to admit a student to college.

   Synonyms: receive

2. to give right or means of entrance to.

   This ticket admits two people.

3. 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.

4. to permit to exercise a certain function or privilege.

   admitted to the bar.

5. to permit; allow.

6. to allow or concede as valid.

   to admit the force of an argument.

7. to acknowledge; confess.

   He admitted his guilt.

   Synonyms: avow, own

8. to grant in argument; concede.

   The fact is admitted.

9. to have capacity for.

   This passage admits two abreast.

verb (used without object)

admitted, admitting 

1. to permit entrance; give access.

   This door admits to the garden.

2. to permit the possibility of something; allow (usually followed byof ).

   The contract admits of no other interpretation.

admit

/ ədˈmɪt /

verb

1. (may take a clause as object) to confess or acknowledge (a crime, mistake, etc)

2. (may take a clause as object) to concede (the truth or validity of something)

3. to allow to enter; let in

4. (foll by to) to allow participation (in) or the right to be part (of)

   to admit to the profession

5. to allow (of); leave room (for)

6. (intr) to give access

   the door admits onto the lawn

Other Word Forms

• admittable adjective
• admittible adjective
• admitter noun
• preadmit verb (used with object)
• readmit verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of admit¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of admit¹

C14: from Latin admittere to let come or go to, from ad- to + mittere to send

Synonym Study

See acknowledge.

Example Sentences

But in the new series, she admits there's a deeper reason as to why she never smiles.

Read more on BBC

At a hearing in July last year, the MoD admitted that it had a duty of care to former personnel, having disputed this in earlier legal action.

Read more on BBC

The suspect later told investigators he admitted bringing a lighter to the trail that night but could not remember what times, the court filing say,

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"He's careful about what he wants to admit to."

Read more on BBC

Even many of the most prominent leaders of the original conversion therapy movement have come to admit that the whole thing was a pile of bunk.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• accept 
• affirm 
• agree 
• allow 
• approve 
• concede 
• confirm 
• declare 
• disclose 
• grant 
• indicate 
• permit 
• recognize 
• reveal 
• talk 
• tell