fessing (up)

verb

present participle of fess (up)
1
as in admitting
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly he fessed up to breaking the antique vase only after his guilt was obvious

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confessing
to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid at first he denied everything, but eventually he realized that he had no choice but to fess up

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fessing (up)
  1. admitting
  2. confessing
  3. acknowledging
Verb
  • Joe wastes no time admitting this was a side quest of personal satisfaction.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Two of the industry's biggest players, days apart, admitting the same thing.
    — Lutz Finger, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of admitting
Verb
  • Of course, confessing to any involvement in Haleigh’s disappearance could also land Trinity in a lot more trouble.
    — Dateline NBC, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2026
  • After posting a video earlier this week asking if anyone else couldn’t stop purchasing diamonds via TikTok, his comment section quickly flooded with more than a thousand replies from people across the country, all confessing their little secret.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of confessing
Verb
  • Older buyers Builders may finally be acknowledging the advanced ages of many of their customers.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Ricky Anderson entered what is known as an Alford plea, acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to support a conviction without admitting guilt.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of acknowledging
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fesses (up)
fessing (up)
fess (up)
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Cite this Entry

“Fessing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fessing%20%28up%29. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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