own up

verb

owned up; owning up; owns up

intransitive verb

: to admit to being responsible for something
denied having broken the window, but later owned up
usually used with to
They owned up to having broken the window.

Examples of own up in a Sentence

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.
And owning up to those mistakes shows responsibility. Amy Morin, Parents, 24 Oct. 2024 As Berkshire Hathaway’s utility companies continue to face litigation from communities and businesses for failing to shut down power lines quickly enough during the Oregon and California wildfires, leadership had to own up to the ramifications of their lack of action. The Sorenson Impact Institute, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Fortunately, making mistakes and owning up to them is one way that parents can actually help teach their kids how to become healthy, successful adults. Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 19 Oct. 2024 In an interview with CNBC from Sun Valley, the commissioner also opined on the Sunday Ticket verdict, and said the league may allow private equity to own up to 10% of a team. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for own up 

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of own up was in 1844

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 5 Nov. 2024.

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