OWNING (UP) Synonyms: 13 Similar and Opposite Words

owning (up)

verb

present participle of own (up)

as in confessing

to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid had a strong suspicion about which coworker stole her food from the office fridge, but the likely culprit refused to own up

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for owning (up)

Verb

During her trial, prosecutors played a recording of Yang confessing to Reuter's murder to a friend who was wearing a wire.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 29 June 2026
After his October 2023 arrest on two murder charges, Joshua Elijah Ballard, 25, waived his Miranda rights and sat down with detectives, confessing to fatally shooting both Sebahattin Ciftci, 46, and Emre Bozkurt, 21, over a 10-day span, Det.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 June 2026

Definition of confessing

Verb

Some investors sell strong positions after a few weeks of weakness, while others hold failing businesses for years because selling would require admitting they were mistaken.

— Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Sebastian Krautz went viral on NBC10 Boston this week after admitting he was initially terrified to travel to the United States because of news about crime and safety.

— Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026

Definition of admitting

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.

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owning

owning (up)

owning (up to)

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“Owning (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/owning%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of owning (up)

verb

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