own up

verb

owned up; owning up; owns up

intransitive verb

: to admit to being responsible for something
denied having broken the window, but later owned up
usually used with to
They owned up to having broken the window.

Examples of own up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Listen to this article 3 min The son of an Atlanta Falcons coach owned up to a prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL Draft as the quarterback slid from a first-round projection to the fifth round. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025 To their credit, the players owned up to their mistakes. Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025 With The New York Times, Rudin owned up to his bad behavior that ousted him for the last four years. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025 One of the key creative minds behind Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is owning up to a pair of casting choices widely decried as racially insensitive. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for own up

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of own up was in 1844

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Own up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20up. Accessed 16 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on own up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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