fess up

phrasal verb

fessed up; fessing up; fesses up
chiefly US, informal
: to admit that one has done something wrong : confess
At first he denied everything, but eventually he fessed up.
He finally fessed up about his involvement.

Examples of fess 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.
Cheating is so rarely about the other person, and Calvin, for all his faults, is at least able to fess up to that. Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025 The Austin Powers star reflected on voicing everyone's favorite ogre in an interview with the Good One podcast — and detailed how the filmmakers at DreamWorks Animation didn't want to fess up about his late Saturday Night Live costar, Chris Farley, being the first choice for the character. EW.com, 6 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Fess up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fess%20up. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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