Synonyms

come clean

Idioms

Confess everything, as in If you come clean about what happened I will promise to keep it to myself. [Slang; early 1900s]

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:

come clean

Why can’t they just come clean with us?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

I also had to come clean with mom on what I did.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

"It is time to come clean," Guterres said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Booth said England should have come clean much sooner about an incident involving white-ball captain Harry Brook on the tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

Same day—Wednesday, April 24,1935 The thing to do is come clean.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023