Meanings
present singular third person owns up · participle present owning up · participle past owned up · past owned up
- intransitiveTo acknowledge, confess, or admit guilt or responsibility.
I'll own up: I glued your mouse to its mat.
2 more examples
If you own up to breaking the glass, you'll be forgiven.
Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes Too scared to own up to one little lie
2007, Sally Seltmann, Feist, “1234”, in The Reminder, performed by FeistSynonyms: fess up, come clean
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo acknowledge, confess, or admit guilt or responsibility.
More synonyms by meaning
verbadmit or acknowledge a wrongdoing or error
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 承認犯錯 /承认犯错, 承认犯错
- 承認犯錯 /承认犯错to confess
- 承认犯错 (chéngrèn fàncuò)to confess
- 認罪 /认罪 (rènzuì)to confess
- 认罪 (rènzuì)to confess
Finnish tunnustaa, myöntää
- tunnustaato confess
- myöntääto confess
French confesser, admettre
- confesserto confess
- admettreto confess
- passer aux aveuxto confess
German zugeben, gestehen
- zugebento confess
- gestehento confess
- eingestehento confess
- einräumento confess
Greek παραδέχομαι
- παραδέχομαι (paradéchomai)to confess
Polish przyznawać się, przyznać się
- przyznawać sięto confess
- przyznać sięto confess
Portuguese confessar, assumir
- confessarto confess
- assumirto confess
- confessar queto confess
- admitirto confess
Romanian mărturisi
- mărturisito confess
Russian признавать, принимать
- признавать (priznavatʹ)to confess
- принимать (prinimatʹ)to confess
Spanish confesar
- confesarto confess
Cite this entry
own up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/own%20up
“own up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/own%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “own up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/own%20up.
Source: own up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.