FESSING (UP) Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

fessing (up)

verb

present participle of fess (up)

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

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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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for fessing (up)

Verb

Related Stories The finale starts off with a flashback to Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) picking up Jordan from prison following a 10-year sentence after admitting fault for the deadly attack on Rushfield.

— Justin Kroll, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2026
In 2011, the two witnesses from Carter's original trial were tracked down in Mexico, admitting they had been told to lie in court and had received cash and gifts from police in exchange for their testimonies.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of admitting

Verb

Throw in some divine intervention with the first Chicago pope confessing his allegiance to the South Siders, and the Cinderella story has captured the nation’s imagination.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Sarsour denies committing those crimes and his attorneys say he was tortured and coerced into confessing in both instances.

— Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of confessing

Verb

Lee then paused all executions after acknowledging the state had failed to ensure its lethal injection drugs were properly tested.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Nucleus is now offering a less glamorous demonstration of that challenge, sharing nearly two hours of uncut factory work while acknowledging that the robot still relies significantly on human assistance.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 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.

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fesses (up)

fessing (up)

fess (up)

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“Fessing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fessing%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fessing (up)

verb

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