admit

1 of 2

verb

ad·​mit əd-ˈmit 

ad-

admitted; admitting

transitive verb

1

a

: to allow scope for : permit

admits no possibility of misunderstanding

b

: to concede as true or valid

admitted making a mistake

2

a

: to allow entry (as to a place, fellowship, or privilege)

an open window had admitted rain

admitted to the club

b

: to accept into a hospital as an inpatient

he was admitted last night for chest pains

intransitive verb

1

: to give entrance or access

2

a

: allow, permit

admits of two interpretations

b

: to make acknowledgment

—used with to

admitted to having doubts

admit

2 of 2

noun

US

: a person who is admitted into a school, hospital, etc.

When a patient is transferred, the nurse will take the next new admit—unless her patient is transferred to a hospital for only a temporary stay.

—Sally Seaver

Synonyms

Verb

• acknowledge
• agree
• allow
• concede
• confess
• fess (up)
• grant
• own (up to)

Choose the Right Synonym for admit

acknowledge, admit, own, avow, confess mean to disclose against one's will or inclination.

acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed.

acknowledged an earlier peccadillo

admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications.

admitted the project was over budget

own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself.

must own I know little about computers

avow implies boldly declaring, often in the face of hostility, what one might be expected to be silent about.

avowed that he was a revolutionary

confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt.

confessed a weakness for sweets

Examples of admit in a Sentence

Verb

You know you're wrong! Admit it!

I hate to admit it, but he's right.

This ticket admits one person.

He admitted them into his office.

They refused to admit her to the club.

The patient was very sick when she was admitted to the hospital.

He was admitted last night for chest pains.

The judge decided to admit the evidence.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Reinbold admits that limited finances have previously restricted their participation. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024

Three years in, each has become dependent on the other, though both are loath to admit it. —Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2024

Noun

Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is more ideological than many admit, Beijing’s motivations in pursuing these goals are largely not ideological. —Elbridge Colby, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2020

An earlier version of this story contained some incorrect admit rates for students with scores above and below an SAT score of 1400. —Joseph Soares, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English admitten, borrowed from Anglo-French admitter, admetter, admettre, borrowed from Latin admittere "to allow entrance or approach," from ad- ad- + mittere "to release, let go, discharge, let fly, throw down, send (for a purpose)," perhaps going back to Indo-European *mei̯th₂- "alternate, exchange, remove" (assuming sense shift "exchange" > "give, bestow" > "let go, send"), from whence, with varying ablaut grades, Sanskrit méthati "treats hostilely, abuses," mitháḥ "mutually, alternately," míthū "in opposed directions, wrongly," Avestan mōiθat̰ "will deprive," hǝ̄m.aibī.mōist "(s/he) joins," West Germanic *meiþ-a- "conceal, avoid" (presumably "remove" > "remove oneself"), whence Old English mīðan "to conceal, dissemble," Old Saxon miđan, Old High German mīdan "to avoid, shy away from, conceal"

Note: See also forms at etymology of mutable descending from a causative derivative *moi̯th₂-. The short vowel and geminate consonant in mittere is usually explained as an instance of the "littera-rule" (or "Iuppiter-rule"), whereby certain pre-Latin diphthongs are resolved as either long vowel + single consonant or short vowel + geminate consonant; in most such cases examples of both alternates are attested, though in this instance no attestation of mīt- is known.

Noun

derivative of admit entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1974, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing admit

• admit defeat
• admit of
• admit to
• I have to admit
• you have to admit

Kids Definition

admit

verb

ad·​mit əd-ˈmit 

ad-

admitted; admitting

1

a

: to allow room for : permit

a question that admits two answers

b

: to make known usually with some unwillingness

admitted that he really didn't know

admit a mistake

2

: to allow entry : let in

admit a state to the Union

Medical Definition

admit

transitive verb

ad·​mit əd-ˈmit, ad- 

admitted; admitting

: to accept (someone) into a hospital, clinic, or other treatment facility as an inpatient

he was admitted last night for chest pains

Legal Definition

admit

verb

ad·​mit

admitted; admitting

transitive verb

1

: to concede as true or valid : make an admission of

2

: to allow to be entered or offered

admitted the document into evidence

admit a will to probate

intransitive verb

: to make acknowledgment

—used with to

admits to the murder