own up
Admit the truth
Own up means to admit to something, especially a mistake or wrongdoing.
The phrase implies coming forward honestly rather than hiding or denying: Nobody owned up to breaking the window.
It often appears with "to": He finally owned up to his role in the scandal.
Acknowledge wrongdoing openly
- acknowledgeConfirm receipt or truth
- admitConfess or grant entry
- come cleanAdmit the full truth
- revealMake something visible
disclose · concede · divulge · tell the truth · spill the beans · avow · declare · unburden
State of being answerable
- answerableLiable to account
- liableLegally responsible for something
- obligationRequired task or commitment
- dutyRequired moral task
integrity · trustworthiness · reliability · conscientiousness · culpability · answerability · reckoning · moral courage
Moral self-reproach
- regretSorrow over past actions
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
apology · self-reproach · compunction · sorrow · atonement · penitence · contrite · remorseful
confess
Acknowledge wrongdoing openly
- acknowledgeConfirm receipt or truth
- admitConfess or grant entry
- come cleanAdmit the full truth
reveal · disclose · concede · divulge · tell the truth · spill the beans · avow · declare · unburden · expose
responsibility
State of being answerable
- answerableLiable to account
- liableLegally responsible for something
- obligationRequired task or commitment
duty · integrity · trustworthiness · reliability · conscientiousness · culpability · answerability · reckoning · moral courage
guilt
Moral self-reproach
- regretSorrow over past actions
- contritionRemorseful state over misdeeds
- shamePainful awareness of failure
repentance · apology · self-reproach · compunction · sorrow · atonement · penitence · contrite · remorseful · pangs
- disclosurerevealing, disclosing, disclosure, disclose, divulge
- reconciliationreconciliation, reconcile, reconciled, reconciling, harmony
- revealreveal, disclose, expose, unmask, unveil
- acknowledgeadmit, confess, concede, recognize, confirm
- explanationswhy, how come, explication, what happened, definition
- commandsgo, stop, wait, come, run
own updeny
Refuse to admit
cover up · disavow · disclaim · pass the buck · point the finger
own uppass the buck
Transfer responsibility elsewhere
deflect · make excuses · point fingers · scapegoat · throw under the bus
up, own, owner, owned, ownership, disown, owning, disowned, disowning