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

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

From Los Angeles Times

“When he kind of said that the year was lost, when he made that admission, that’s when I think it sort of flipped for him,” manager Dave Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times

The couple were among the most prominent figures implicated in the Varsity Blues college admission scandal in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times

It says colleges would stop considering race, gender and a wide range of other student demographics in the admissions process and to require undergraduate applicants to take the SAT or ACT.

From Los Angeles Times

Make clear, in other words, that the diversity we tout in our admissions materials remains a fundamental part of our mission — even when politicians use federal funding to undermine our institutional values.

From Salon

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.