to own up to

Examples

• All

• It's time you owned up to it.

  Partners (1982)

• And there is no shame in owning up to what you are struggling with.

  Blog text (12)

• So once again, she failed to own up to what she and her administration have done.

  Megyn Kelly

• I think all of us have our stories, we just need to own up to our story.

• Why not own up to it?

  Twelve Monkeys (1995)

• And the right thing would be for him to own up to it and work to make it right.

  WWJD II: The Woodcarver (2012)

• I credit a man who will correct his mistakes and own up to them.

  The Thinning: New World Order (2018)

• At least if you're wrong, own up to it and try harder next time.

• When judges or county social agency workers are to blame, Grossman says they must own up to their mistakes.

  Academic text (1997)

• In fact, I've been straightforward about owning up to my own failings in this area.

  Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

C

to confess

vsto own up to

576 3.0

To say you did something wrong or illegal

focuses on admitting responsibility for shameful acts rather than only legal guilt

T

to take responsibility

vsto own up to

193 3.3

To admit you caused a problem and accept the blame

narrows this to admitting fault or responsibility for a wrong

C

to come clean

vsto own up to

• Informal

92 4.1

To say the truth about something you kept secret

is about admitting responsibility rather than only revealing hidden facts

T

to tell the truth

vsto own up to

• Informal

48 3.2

To say something that is true even if it is surprising

is about owning responsibility rather than simply declaring honesty

O

to own it

vsto own up to

• Informal

43 7.0

Admit a fault or a personal quality and act confidently

is admitting fault often with humility rather than confident acceptance

O

to own up

vsto own up to

• Informal

38 4.4

Admit that you did something wrong or made a mistake

is about admitting full responsibility for wrongdoing or embarrassment

F

to fess

vsto own up to

• Informal

30 8.3

To admit that you did something, often reluctantly

is a general admission of responsibility usually without informality or reluctance

F

to fess up

vsto own up to

• Informal

28 8.0

To say you did something wrong, often after being asked

is admitting responsibility proactively rather than after prompting

M

to make a clean breast of

vsto own up to

1 7.5

To tell the whole truth about something wrong you did

is centered on taking responsibility rather than only uncovering facts

E

to eat humble pie

vsto own up to

• Informal

1 7.9

To admit you are wrong and feel embarrassed

is the same act without the strong humiliation element

Antonyms

H

to hide

∞ 1.0

To keep something so others cannot see or understand it

D

to disown

37 5.8

Refuse to accept someone or something and stop having any connection with them

How Open

to take responsibility

193 3.3

to own up to

• Informal

33 4.2

to admit

∞ 2.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology