variants
or less commonly fesse
1
: a broad horizontal bar across the middle of a heraldic field
2
: the center point of an armorial escutcheon
Synonyms
Examples of fess in a Sentence
Verb
he fessed up to breaking the antique vase only after his guilt was obvious
at first he denied everything, but eventually he realized that he had no choice but to fess up
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 1 Nov. 2022
What happens when restaurants don’t fess up?
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 24 June 2020
Okay, fess up: who made a hole in Mars?
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2012
Measurement must, at times, suffice as a substitute for understanding, but measurers must fess up to this fudging up-front—as did the inimitable Richard Feynman.
—WIRED, 9 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for fess 
Verb
So c'mon, Alec, fess up, what did Bryce tell you?
—CBS News, 1 Nov. 2022
What happens when restaurants don’t fess up?
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 24 June 2020
Okay, fess up: who made a hole in Mars?
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 21 July 2012
Measurement must, at times, suffice as a substitute for understanding, but measurers must fess up to this fudging up-front—as did the inimitable Richard Feynman.
—WIRED, 9 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for fess
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fess
Cite this Entry
“Fess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fess. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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