admission

[ad-mish-uhn]

noun

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of admission¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of admission¹

C15: from Latin admissiōn-, from admittere to _admit

Synonym Study

See entrance ¹.

Example Sentences

On topics like abortion rights, federal regulatory authority and the consideration of race in college admissions, the court has reversed decades of existing precedent.

From BBC

He was acquitted in the 1990s and, due to the double jeopardy law, was unable to be prosecuted again, despite later making admissions to a prison guard that he was guilty.

From BBC

On her own admission, she spent far too much time "longing for boys".

From BBC

Mateo was rejected three times by Mount SAC before winning admission.

From Los Angeles Times

The government is also seeking changes over admissions, foreign student enrollment, diversity programs and other GOP priorities in higher education.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.