fess
1 of 2verb
ˈfes 
fessed; fessing; fesses
intransitive verb
: to own up : confess —usually used with up
fess
2 of 2noun
ˈfes
variants or less commonly fesse
1
: a broad horizontal bar across the middle of a heraldic field
2
: the center point of an armorial escutcheon
Synonyms
Verb
- acknowledge
- admit
- agree
- allow
- concede
- confess
- grant
- own (up to)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Nancy Doyle, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 The litany of lies that Mr. Leissner had to fess up to on the stand was long and in some cases unbelievable. Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2022 The caller was the Comedy Cellar’s booker, and Velez had to fess up. Stuart Miller, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2021 Before making any major life decisions, Joe needed to fess up to what happened earlier. Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, 5 Oct. 2021 Before the night ended, my dad would fess up and everyone had a good laugh. Gregg Opelka, WSJ, 18 June 2021 Caught unprepared, many interviewees either fess up to recent mistakes or avoid admitting to failure. John M. O'connor, Forbes, 27 May 2021 And Ramona didn't fess up to being a socially incompetent citizen who has traveled for the entirety of quarantine or anything like that. Jodi Walker, EW.com, 11 Sep. 2020 Instead of trying to take the easy way out, straighten your spine, fess up and do the right thing. Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 1 June 2020 Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 1 June 2020 Not until after the game -- LSU beat South Carolina 6-4 to stay alive in the SEC Tournament -- did Peterson fess up. Christopher Dabe, NOLA.com, 25 May 2018 See More
Verb
Equally, a leader with RSD who can’t ‘fess up to their own shortcomings will create havoc. Nancy Doyle, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022 The litany of lies that Mr. Leissner had to fess up to on the stand was long and in some cases unbelievable. Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2022 The caller was the Comedy Cellar’s booker, and Velez had to fess up. Stuart Miller, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2021 Before making any major life decisions, Joe needed to fess up to what happened earlier. Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, 5 Oct. 2021 Before the night ended, my dad would fess up and everyone had a good laugh. Gregg Opelka, WSJ, 18 June 2021 Caught unprepared, many interviewees either fess up to recent mistakes or avoid admitting to failure. John M. O'connor, Forbes, 27 May 2021 And Ramona didn't fess up to being a socially incompetent citizen who has traveled for the entirety of quarantine or anything like that. Jodi Walker, EW.com, 11 Sep. 2020 Instead of trying to take the easy way out, straighten your spine, fess up and do the right thing. Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 1 June 2020 Noun
Instead of trying to take the easy way out, straighten your spine, fess up and do the right thing. Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 1 June 2020 Not until after the game -- LSU beat South Carolina 6-4 to stay alive in the SEC Tournament -- did Peterson fess up. Christopher Dabe, NOLA.com, 25 May 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
short for confess
Noun
Middle English fesse, from Anglo-French faisse band, from Latin fascia — more at fascia
First Known Use
Verb
1840, in the meaning defined above
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1