admitting defeat
Accepting you lost
Admitting defeat is acknowledging that you have lost or cannot win—conceding failure in a contest, argument, or endeavor.
The phrase carries weight because it requires setting aside pride: After three failed attempts, she finally admitted defeat and called a professional.
To admit defeat is not merely to lose but to openly accept it.
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
- wave white flagSignal unconditional surrender
- concedeAdmit something reluctantly
- capitulateYield under pressure
- yieldProduce or relinquish
submit · white flag · resignation · give up · tap out · cry uncle · loss · retreat · acknowledge · humble · eat humble pie · beaten · forfeit · throw in towel · call it quits · wave · accept · quit
- surrendersurrender, surrenders, surrendering, I surrender, capitulate
- sportsmanshipfairness, fair play, sportsmanship, respect, integrity
admitting defeatdenial
Refusal to accept reality
making excuses · blaming others · saving face · doubling down
admitting defeatpersevering
Maintaining effort despite difficulty
perseverance · pressing on · soldiering on · persistence · carrying on
admit, admits, admitted, admittance, admission, admissible, inadmissible, defeat, defeats