admitting
admitting — verb
- admittingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- admittings3rd person singular
- admittinging-ing form
- admittingedpast simple
1. to say that you accept a fact is real or correct, even when doing so makes you f
to say that you accept a fact is real or correct, even when doing so makes you feel awkward
Nora admitted that she had forgotten to mail the rent cheque before the deadline.
admit + that-clause for acknowledging a fact
After hours of questioning, the suspect finally admitted the mistake during the police interview.
admit + noun phrase for conceding a specific point
The insurance company admitted to overcharging more than two hundred elderly customers last year.
Bilal hated admitting that he had broken the kitchen window while playing football.
Stephanie quietly admitted that the new job was more stressful than she had imagined.
- concede
more formal; often used in arguments or debates when the speaker grants a point begrudgingly
- acknowledge
less emotional than admit; can be used for positive or neutral facts
- confess
stronger suggestion of wrongdoing or guilt; more dramatic register
- deny
refuse to accept that something is true
文法句型
admit + that-clause
admit + noun/phrase
admit + gerund
admit to + gerund
用法筆記
Commonly takes a that-clause or a gerund. 'Admit to + gerund' is slightly more informal and often implies wrongdoing. Unlike 'confess', this sense does not require moral or legal guilt — simply unwelcome truth.
常見錯誤
2. to recognize that you cannot win a contest, solve a problem, or make a plan succ
to recognize that you cannot win a contest, solve a problem, or make a plan succeed, and therefore stop trying
After three gruelling hours of chess, Hiro finally admitted defeat with a heavy sigh.
fixed phrase: admit defeat
Wei studied the chessboard for ten more minutes, then admitted defeat and tipped over his king.
Tunde refused to admit his business idea had failed after six months of zero sales.
Losing his life savings made Owen admit his restaurant would not survive the winter.
- persist
continue trying despite difficulty
文法句型
admit defeat
admit + that-clause (failure)
用法筆記
'Admit defeat' is a fixed collocation — do not insert an article (*admit the defeat). This sense is often intransitive (you admit defeat, or you admit that you cannot do something).
常見錯誤
3. to let a person go into a building, event, or enclosed area
to let a person go into a building, event, or enclosed area
The security guard refused to admit late visitors after ten o'clock.
admit + noun + into + place
This weekend pass admits two adults and three children to the national dinosaur museum.
Mei showed her student card and was admitted to the concert hall without queuing.
The narrow back door admits visitors directly into the kitchen area of the old farmhouse.
- let in
less formal; used for everyday situations like opening a door
文法句型
admit + noun + to + place
be admitted to + place
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice, especially for official entry to regulated spaces. The preposition 'to' is standard after the object when naming the place; 'into' is also common.
常見錯誤
4. to give someone the right to join a particular group, institution, or associatio
to give someone the right to join a particular group, institution, or association as an official member
The university admits around four thousand new undergraduate students every autumn.
institution admits + members
Pim was admitted to the national youth orchestra after a very difficult audition in Vienna.
passive: be admitted to + organization
Only experienced teachers with five years of classroom work are admitted to the training programme.
The tennis club admits new members twice a year, in January and in early July.
文法句型
admit + noun + to + organization
be admitted to + institution
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 (ALLOW ENTRY): sense 3 is about physical access to a space; sense 4 is about membership in an institution. This sense is frequently passive and takes 'to' before the organization name.
常見錯誤
5. to bring a person into a hospital so that doctors and nurses can give them medic
to bring a person into a hospital so that doctors and nurses can give them medical treatment or care
The elderly woman was admitted to hospital with severe chest pains last night.
passive: be admitted to + ward / hospital
After the car accident, Zayd was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation and scans.
be admitted for [purpose]
The rural clinic admitted three children with dangerously high fevers during a single night shift.
Nora's grandmother was admitted for knee replacement surgery on Monday and went home on Friday.
- hospitalize
direct equivalent but used less as a verb in everyday British English
文法句型
be admitted to hospital
be admitted for + treatment
用法筆記
Almost always used in the passive voice in patient contexts ('the patient was admitted'). The active voice ('the doctor admitted the patient') is used from the hospital staff's perspective. British English uses 'admitted to hospital' without an article; American English uses 'admitted to the hospital'.
常見錯誤
6. to make it possible for a certain situation, interpretation, or outcome to exist
to make it possible for a certain situation, interpretation, or outcome to exist
The evidence on the table admits of only one logical conclusion about what happened.
admit of + noun — formal construction for possibility
The design of the new bridge admits of several different engineering approaches.
These official safety regulations do not admit any exceptions whatsoever.
A good scientific theory always admits the possibility that future experiments might change it.
文法句型
admit of + noun
用法筆記
A formal and somewhat literary construction. 'Admit of' (followed by a noun like 'doubt', 'possibility', 'exception') is the most common pattern. The plain object usage ('admits no exceptions') is also formal. Rare in everyday conversation — more likely to appear in legal, academic, or technical writing.