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Synonyms

own up

Idioms  

  1. Confess, make a full admission, as in Come on, Tim, you'd better own up that you lost the car keys. This idiom uses the verb own in the sense of “acknowledge.” [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

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.

The U.S. should own up to its good intentions.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

Foreign states will be allowed to own up to 15% of British newspapers and news magazines under new laws.

From BBC • May 14, 2025

Einav and Finkelstein own up to having “preached the gospel” of skin-in-the-game “to generations of students.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2025

While she has been seemingly ruthless in her job as a sniper who exterminates the game players who fail, she also has sympathy for Gyeong-seok, having left behind a daughter of her own up North.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2024

If it’s bad, as long as they own up to it and promise to do better, he’ll still give them a meal.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

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.