owns (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of own (up)
as in confesses
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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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for owns (up)
  1. confesses
  2. admits
Verb
  • With the whizbang action long in the series’ rearview, this quiet road trip proves its emotional centerpiece, as Noah confesses both his true nature and his desire to be better — the conflict of his programming.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Things are suddenly different, starting at work, where the gallery director confesses to noticing him for the first time and a punky feminist artist requests his involvement in her upcoming show.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of confesses
Verb
  • In a separate interview with THR, Hoover admits her own read of what‘s real has shifted.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With an Alford plea, a defendant maintains innocence but admits that the prosecution has enough evidence to convict.
    — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of admits
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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Cite this Entry

“Owns (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/owns%20%28up%29. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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