to own up
38
4.4
- phrasal verb
- /oʊn ʌp/
- Informal
:
reconocer
- She should own up to her actions and apologize to those affected.
You know, and but the point is nobody wanted to own up.
- You know, and but the point is nobody wanted to own up.
- And when you a man, you own up and you fess up to the things that you did wrong.
- Moral authority, meaning being loved, liked, trusted, where they feel like if you were to make a mistake, you would own up.
- Like just take, own up, own up to it, say you're sorry, be the bigger person you know, and then you move on.
- You know, of course I'm not going to own up to that.
- See, when you actually screw up and you own up to it that way, I'm sorry.
- People can make mistakes and own up to it.
- So my mentality even then was I had to own up to it.
- And those are among the most significant of the confessions that I own up to.
- So once again, she failed to own up to what she and her administration have done.
- That's the thing when you when you own up to the to your imperfections, what can anybody else say or do?
- Here's an example of somebody who screwed up and never owned up to it and it cost someone.
- But what bothers me is when you can't fucking own up to it.
- So kind of piggybacking off the last point, everybody of course has to learn how to own up to their mistakes and their issues.
- Now, let me just say I tip my cap, which I'm told is this, to the fact that you're owning up to your mistake.
Examples
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When judges or county social agency workers are to blame, Grossman says they must own up to their mistakes.
Academic text (1997) -
So kind of piggybacking off the last point, everybody of course has to learn how to own up to their mistakes and their issues.
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Look, I need, I need you to own up and say I am responsible.
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I think all of us have our stories, we just need to own up to our story.
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So once again, she failed to own up to what she and her administration have done.
-
It's time you owned up to it.
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And the right thing would be for him to own up to it and work to make it right.
-
I credit a man who will correct his mistakes and own up to them.
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At least if you're wrong, own up to it and try harder next time.
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I need you to see it, own up to it and have the heart posture to be willing to change it and not walk in it.
Synonyms
576
3.0
To say you did something wrong or illegal
193
3.3
To admit you caused a problem and accept the blame
92
4.1
To say the truth about something you kept secret
43
7.0
Admit a fault or a personal quality and act confidently
33
4.2
To say you did something wrong or embarrassing
30
8.3
To admit that you did something, often reluctantly
28
8.0
To say you did something wrong, often after being asked
1
7.5
To tell the whole truth about something wrong you did
1
7.9
To admit you are wrong and feel embarrassed
To admit you were wrong and take back what you said
Antonyms
How Open
Surface Forms
Morphology
own + up
The sense of 'own up' arises from a metaphorical extension of 'own' (take ownership/take responsibility) plus the particle 'up' signaling completion, so the meaning 'admit/confess' is partially inferable from the parts but requires a figurative leap. A B1 learner who knows the constituents might guess it relates to accepting responsibility but would not reliably derive the precise meaning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Own up may come from the image of someone standing and saying 'I own this', with own meaning to claim something is yours and up meaning to say it openly. So own up means 'to admit' you did something wrong.