own up
own up — phrasal verb
- own upbase form
- owns up3rd person singular
- owning up-ing form
- owned uppast simple
1. to finally tell someone that you are the person who did something bad, especiall
to finally tell someone that you are the person who did something bad, especially when you could have stayed quiet or let someone else take the blame
Neither child owned up to letting the dog out, despite muddy footprints on the floor.
would not own up to + [gerund] — refusal to confess
Diya eventually owned up to taking money from her mother's purse after a sleepless night.
eventually owned up to + [gerund] — reluctant admission after delay
The player owned up to using a banned substance after months of public denials.
Nobody would own up to making the prank call that caused the trouble.
- confess
stronger moral or religious implication; often used for serious wrongdoing or in legal contexts
- come clean
informal; implies revealing a truth that was actively hidden, not merely admitting fault
- fess up
very informal, mainly US; a shortened form of 'confess up'
文法句型
own up + to + [noun phrase]
own up + to + [gerund phrase]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in the negative or with 'would not' ('No one would own up'), highlighting reluctance to confess. The object always follows 'to', never directly after 'up'.
常見錯誤
own up — verb
- own uppresent simple I / you / we / they
- owns up3rd person singular
- owning up-ing form
- owned uppast simple
1. to accept that a problem, error, or failure happened because of something you di
to accept that a problem, error, or failure happened because of something you did or failed to do, without making excuses or shifting the blame
The construction company finally owned up to using cheaper materials than the contract required.
owned up to + [gerund] — company taking responsibility for a breach
Rodrigo owned up to the scheduling error and worked through the weekend to fix it.
owned up to + [noun phrase] — accepting blame and taking corrective action
The manager took weeks to own up to the hiring mistake, which annoyed the team.
Governments rarely own up to policy failures unless the media or opposition forces them to.
- admit
broader and more neutral; can be used for facts, feelings, or mistakes without the same sense of accountability
- acknowledge
more formal; often used in official statements or written reports
- take responsibility
emphasises accountability and a willingness to deal with consequences, not just admit fault
- shirk
to avoid or neglect a duty or responsibility
- blame others
to put responsibility on someone else instead of accepting it
文法句型
own up + to + [noun phrase for mistake/problem]
own up + to + [gerund phrase]
用法筆記
Common in professional and institutional settings where accountability matters. Unlike 'confess', this sense does not imply moral guilt — the focus is on accepting that a problem exists and that one caused or contributed to it.