1
as in admits
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly
he fessed up to breaking the antique vase only after his guilt was obvious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in confesses
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fesses (up)
Verb
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Not our favorite of the breakfast meats, the poster admits, but not past its expiration date.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025 -
Peppe admits more precise dating of dinosaur fossils found elsewhere, especially in Europe and Asia, is needed to reach any firm conclusion.—
DINO GRANDONI THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Thankfully, as Hank sleepily confesses, James got away.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
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After Tom shares the analogy of the bird that can’t find its way home with Robbie (Tom Pelphrey), the on-the-run thief confesses to seeing himself in the bird.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Allowing drivers to begin coverage and pay slightly later acknowledges that reality.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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But Amorim, who is approaching 12 months in charge of the club, acknowledges that football is an unpredictable industry and results will influence the mood among United’s hierarchy.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Despite the advances in AI, Duan concedes that early domestic CAE software lagged behind foreign competitors in several areas.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Oct. 2025
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An Alford plea is one in which a defendant admits no guilt, but concedes that prosecutors have enough evidence to secure a conviction.—
Chris Ramirez,
jsonline.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fesses (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fesses%20%28up%29. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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