own up
verb
owned up; owning up; owns up
: to admit to being responsible for something
denied having broken the window, but later owned up
—usually used with toThey owned up to having broken the window.
Examples of own up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Being able to admit flaws and own up to shortcomings is one thing.
—
Saad Yousuf, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Gaby does call Derrick and own up to her self-sabotage, but he’s still hurt.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Rather than hide the problem with gimmicks such as the school dashboard, California should own up to it and embrace successful examples such as those in Tahoe and Grass Valley.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 15 Dec. 2024
The project is a public-private partnership under which Bahamians are invited to own up to 49% of it.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for own up 
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.
Saad Yousuf, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
Gaby does call Derrick and own up to her self-sabotage, but he’s still hurt.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
Rather than hide the problem with gimmicks such as the school dashboard, California should own up to it and embrace successful examples such as those in Tahoe and Grass Valley.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 15 Dec. 2024
The project is a public-private partnership under which Bahamians are invited to own up to 49% of it.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for own up
Dictionary Entries Near own up
Cite this Entry
“Own up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/own%20up. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share