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
Jefferson owns up to his scout team tendencies, but the veteran also knows when to dial it back.
—
Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Gabbard called out Harris for not owning up to her past policies and instead avoiding the question.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 Oct. 2024
Johnston, who has made significant strides after an underwhelming rookie season last year, owned up to his mistakes.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
Tatum’s involvement is made possible by a change in the latest NBA collective bargaining agreement, ratified in April 2023, which allows players to own up to 4% of WNBA franchises.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 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.
Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Gabbard called out Harris for not owning up to her past policies and instead avoiding the question.
—Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 17 Oct. 2024
Johnston, who has made significant strides after an underwhelming rookie season last year, owned up to his mistakes.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024
Tatum’s involvement is made possible by a change in the latest NBA collective bargaining agreement, ratified in April 2023, which allows players to own up to 4% of WNBA franchises.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 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 16 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share