admit

[ ad-mit ]

verb (used with object)

, ad·mit·ted, ad·mit·ting.

1. to allow to enter; grant or afford entrance to:

   to admit a student to college.

   Synonyms: receive

2. to give right or means of entrance to:

   This ticket admits two people.

3. to register (a person) as an inpatient at a hospital:

   After seeing the test results, the emergency room doctor admitted her and put her on intravenous fluids.

4. to permit to exercise a certain function or privilege:

   admitted to the bar.

5. to permit; allow.
6. to allow or concede as valid:

   to admit the force of an argument.

7. to acknowledge; confess:

   He admitted his guilt.

   Synonyms: avow, own

8. to grant in argument; concede:

   The fact is admitted.

9. to have capacity for:

   This passage admits two abreast.

verb (used without object)

, ad·mit·ted, ad·mit·ting.

1. to permit entrance; give access:

   This door admits to the garden.

2. to permit the possibility of something; allow (usually followed by of ):

   The contract admits of no other interpretation.

admit

/ ədˈmɪt /

verb

1. may take a clause as object to confess or acknowledge (a crime, mistake, etc)
2. may take a clause as object to concede (the truth or validity of something)
3. to allow to enter; let in
4. foll by to to allow participation (in) or the right to be part (of)

   to admit to the profession

5. whenintr, foll by of to allow (of); leave room (for)
6. intr to give access

   the door admits onto the lawn

Other Words From

• ad·mit·ta·ble ad·mit·ti·ble adjective
• ad·mit·ter noun
• pre·ad·mit verb (used with object) preadmitted preadmitting
• re·ad·mit verb readmitted readmitting

Word History and Origins

Origin of admit¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; from Latin admittere, from ad- ad- + mittere “to send, let go”; replacing late Middle English amitte, with a- a- ⁵ instead of ad-, from Middle French amettre, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of admit¹

C14: from Latin admittere to let come or go to, from ad- to + mittere to send

Synonym Study

See acknowledge.

Example Sentences

It's like Bob Dylan going electric; nobody wants to admit that they were the one who booed.

From Salon

They went to trial in 1993 and the brothers admitted to the killings but argued they acted out of self-defence.

From BBC

Seven in 10 people with end-stage liver disease don’t know anything about it until they are admitted to hospital with symptoms such as jaundice, fluid retention and abnormal bleeding.

From BBC

Mrs Merkel insists she tried to curb Russian attacks on Ukraine using diplomacy and negotiations, which - she admits - ultimately failed.

From BBC

“We didn’t sleep the night before the test drive event,” she admits.

From BBC

Related Words

• accept
• affirm
• agree
• allow
• approve
• concede
• confirm
• declare
• disclose
• grant
• indicate
• permit
• recognize
• reveal
• talk
• tell