From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishadmitad‧mit /ədˈmɪt/ ●●● S2 W1 verb (admitted, admitting) 1 accept truthADMIT [intransitive, transitive] to agree unwillingly that something is true or that someone else is right ‘Okay, so maybe I was a little bit scared, ’ Jenny admitted.admit (that) You may not like her, but you have to admit that she’s good at her job.admit to somebody (that) Paul admitted to me that he sometimes feels jealous of my friendship with Stanley. I must admit, I didn’t actually do anything to help her. Admit it! I’m right, aren’t I?admit (to) doing something Dana admitted feeling hurt by what I had said.freely/openly/frankly etc admit (=admit without being ashamed) Phillips openly admits to having an alcohol problem.2 accept blameADMIT [intransitive, transitive] to say that you have done something wrong, especially something criminal SYN confess OPP denyadmit doing something Greene admitted causing death by reckless driving.admit to (doing) something A quarter of all workers admit to taking time off when they are not ill. After questioning, he admitted to the murder. No organization has admitted responsibility for the bombing.► see thesaurus at admit3 allow to enterENTER [transitive] to allow someone to enter a public place to watch a game, performance etc → admittance, admissionadmit somebody to/into something Only ticket-holders will be admitted into the stadium.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say let someone in rather than admit someone:They won’t let you in without a ticket.4 allow to joinJOIN AN ORGANIZATION [transitive] to allow someone to join an organization, club etcadmit somebody to/into something Drake was admitted into the club in 1997.5 hospital [transitive] if people at a hospital admit someone, that person is taken in to be given treatment, tests, or care What time was she admitted?be admitted to hospital British English, be admitted to the hospital American English 6 → admit defeat7 → admit evidence → admit of somethingGRAMMAR: Comparisonadmit• You admit that you did something: He admitted that he had made a mistake.• You admit to someone that you did something: He admitted to me that he had made a mistake. ✗Don’t say: He admitted me that he had made a mistake.• You admit doing something: He admitted making a mistake. ✗Don’t say: He admitted to make a mistake.confess• You confess that you did something: He confessed that he had stolen the money.• You confess to someone that you did something: He confessed to the police that he had stolen the money.COLLOCATIONSverbsrefuse to admit somethingHe refused to admit that it was his fault.be forced to admit somethingThe government was forced to admit that the policy had never really worked.somebody has to admit somethingIn the end, he had to admit I was right.adverbsfreely/readily/openly admit something (=admit without being ashamed)I freely admit I’m hopeless at maths.grudgingly/reluctantly admit something (=admit something when you do not want to)He grudgingly admitted that I was a better swimmer than him.phrasesbe willing/prepared/happy/ready to admit somethingShe was willing to admit that she’d made a mistake.be ashamed/loath to admit somethingHe was ashamed to admit that he had lied to her.I must admit something (=used when saying that you admit that something is true)I must admit I hate camping.I hate to admit it but …I hate to admit it but it looks like we’ve failed.be the first to admit somethingI know I’m lazy – I’m the first to admit it!I don’t mind admitting somethingI’m scared and I don’t mind admitting it. THESAURUSadmit something is trueadmit to agree unwillingly that something is trueHe admitted that the company was having financial difficulties.I must admit I was disappointed by their reaction.concede formal to admit something in a discussion or argument‘You may be right, ’ Bridget conceded.It was a decision which he now concedes was incorrect.acknowledge /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ formal to say that something is true or that a situation existsThe report acknowledges that research on animals is not always a reliable guide when it comes to humans.They do not want to acknowledge the fact that things have changed.confess to admit something that you feel embarrassed or ashamed aboutBradley confessed that he struggled to finish the race.I must confess I don’t like his wife at all.Granted/I grant you formal spoken used when admitting that something is true, although you do not think it makes much difference to the main point. Granted is usually used at the beginning of a sentence, or on its ownShe has a lot of experience, I grant you, but she’s not good at managing people.Granted he did play well in the last game, but generally his form hasn't been very good recently. admit you have done something wrongadmit to say that you have done something wrong, especially something criminalHe admitted charges of theft and false accounting.Bennett admitted killing his wife.confess to tell the police or someone in authority that you have done something bad, especially when they have persuaded you to do thisHe finally confessed that he had stolen the money. They told him that if he confessed he would get a lighter sentence.own up to admit that you have done something wrong, usually something that is not very serious. Own up is more informal than admit or confessHe owned up to the mistake straight away.fess up informal to admit that you have done something wrong that is not very seriousCome on, fess up! Where were you last night? come clean informal to finally admit something bad that you have been trying to hideThey want the government to come clean on where all the money has gone. → See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
admit• "Well, I suppose there is some truth in what you say, " she admitted.• Tickets are $ 10, available at the door, with children under age 12 not admitted.• Children under 17 will not be admitted.• Richard Maldonado admitted accepting bribes.• There I was admitted by the butler, of all people.• Blake finally admitted he had stolen the money.• Admit it! You lied to me!• You were wrong, weren't you? Come on, admit it!• The hospital refused to admit liability for the deaths of the two young children.• They refused to admit Paul to the performance because of what he was wearing.• Maggie asked the nurses to find a doctor who would admit Roy, but they didn't call anyone.• In the end he had to admit that I was right.• Rachel admitted that she had made a mistake.• You may not like her, but you have to admit that she's good at her job.• Characteristic is a reluctance to admit the quantity consumed, drinking secretly alone, and taking gradually increasing amounts.• After the death of Asbury, the Methodists in 1816 adopted a report that admitted they were powerless to abolish the evil.• I would have admitted to murder to keep her out of it.• He admits to stealing the car.• In the past, some countries refused to admit travelers who had South African visas.• I will accept your tequila, but not until after you have admitted your wrongs.admit (that)• But the Phillips pick was a bigger risk than the football world likes to admit.• That mythical policeman whom your Major saw for just one second, as he admitted?• This suggests to Ishmael that the entire universe is more closely interrelated than man has yet admitted.• Tranmere Rovers manager John Aldridge has been fined after admitting misconduct.• You may not like Joan, but you have to admit that she's good at her job.• New chairman, Tory councillor Keith Bland admitted that the council had made mistakes.• Even Packard admitted to himself that the unusual wildflower must have been a fluke, or misidentified.• Shortly before his third birthday, Andrew was admitted to the same country hospital in which he had been born.admit to (doing) something• Or, he could do the tough thing, which is admit to a problem and get some help.• He admitted to smuggling 20 tons of cocaine and pinned Noriega to the shipments.• Mrs Moon said she did not want her husband to admit to something he did not do.• Samuel admitted to the burglaries but not to the robbery.• Even our die-hard Communist friends admit to the existence of small-scale scams under the old system.• That evening, as a cold rain began to fall, we were the last family admitted to the receiving camp.• In Congress, proposed legislation would: Slash the number of refugees and immigrants admitted to the United States.admit somebody to/into something• Only members will be admitted to the club for tonight's performance.• Twenty-five students were admitted to the National Honor Society in a ceremony yesterday.be admitted to hospital• Not everyone needed to be admitted to hospital.• A 72 year old man with ischaemic heart disease and poor ventricular function was admitted to hospital after collapsing at home.• My mental health has deteriorated to such an extent that I had to be admitted to hospital and am currently on sedation.• She was admitted to hospital and the baby was induced because the doctors feared both Esther and the baby were in danger.• He was admitted to hospital earlier this week after showing no signs of recovery.• If you are admitted to hospital for in-patient treatment, your allowance can continue for up to twelve weeks.• She was admitted to hospital in September, 1991, because of fever, productive cough, and weakness.• She was admitted to hospital on 21 January because of a productive cough and mild dyspnoea which had appeared four days earlier.From Longman Business Dictionaryadmitad‧mit /ədˈmɪt/ verb (admitted, admitting) [transitive]1to allow someone to enter a place or become a member of a group, organization, school etcadmit somebody/something to somethingBoth republics are now hoping to be admitted to the IMF.2admit liability to accept legal liability for somethingThe multinational has now admitted liability for its negligence.→ See Verb tableOrigin admit (1300-1400) Latin admittere, from ad- “to” + mittere “to send” 