admission

American  

[ad-mish-uhn] / ædˈmɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the act of allowing to enter; entrance granted by permission, by provision or existence of pecuniary means, or by the removal of obstacles.

   the admission of foreign aid workers into the zone of active conflict.

2. right or permission to enter.

   granting admission to the rare books room.

   Synonyms:

   access

3. the price paid for entrance, as to a theater or ball park.

4. an act or condition of being received or accepted in a position, profession, occupation, or office; appointment.

   admission to the bar.

5. confession of a charge, an error, or a crime; acknowledgment.

   His admission of the theft solved the mystery.

6. an acknowledgment of the truth of something.

7. a point or statement admitted; concession.

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admission British  

/ ədˈmɪʃən /

noun

1. permission to enter or the right, authority, etc, to enter

2. the price charged for entrance

3. acceptance for a position, office, etc

4. a confession, as of a crime, mistake, etc

5. an acknowledgment of the truth or validity of something

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Usage

What is an admission? An admission is entrance by permission or the removal of obstacles to entry, as in The admission of girls into the science program has been a long time coming. Admission is also a right or permission to enter, as in Only employees have admission to the backstage area. Admission can also be the price paid in order to enter, as at a sports or theater event. An admission can also be a confession or acknowledgement of the truth, as when you admit that you were the one who broke your mother’s favorite dish. Example: Just the first act of the play was worth the price of admission.

Related Words

See entrance ¹.

Other Word Forms

• admissive
  adjective
• nonadmission
  noun
• proadmission
  adjective
• readmission
  noun

Etymology

Origin of admission

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French and Latin admissiōn- (stem of admissiō ), equivalent to admiss-, past participial stem of the verb admittere admit + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If you pay admission, you're paying a fee in order to attend something, like an event or a movie. After you pay admission to the movie theater, you head straight to the popcorn stand. The noun admission stems from the Latin word admissionem, meaning "a letting in." It often refers to a fee charged for entry, but it can also describe the process of being granted entry. The university's admission of the new student was welcome news — now he has access to the school's research facilities. An admission can also be a confession that something is true, such as your brother's surly admission that he was the one who popped your bike tire.

Example Sentences

The proposed settlement would require the Elon Musk Revocable Trust to pay the SEC a $1.5 million civil penalty, with no admission of wrongdoing.

From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026

Opening day admission is free for all visitors, and always complimentary for students.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

This year, the museum decided to cut admission prices to zero, and ask for donations.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Vanderbilt this year launched a pilot partnership promising transfer admission to students who study abroad their first year, through a third-party company called Verto Education.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

“That is a pact the families who send their children here make with the school upon admission, and we are investigating who is behind this with great urgency.”

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• accession
• admittance
• assertion
• concession
• confirmation
• disclosure
• revelation
• statement
• testimony