fess

1 of 2

verb

fessed; fessing; fesses

intransitive verb

: to own up : confess
usually used with up

fess

2 of 2

noun

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

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

short for confess

Noun

Middle English fesse, from Anglo-French faisse band, from Latin fascia — more at fascia

First Known Use

Verb

1840, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fess was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near fess

Cite this Entry

“Fess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fess. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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