- 1 [intransitive, transitive] admit (to somebody) (that…) to agree, often unwillingly, that something is true synonym confess It was a stupid thing to do, I admit. + speech ‘I'm very nervous,’ she admitted reluctantly. admit to something Don't be afraid to admit to your mistakes. admit to doing something She admits to being strict with her children. admit something He admitted all his mistakes. She stubbornly refuses to admit the truth. Why don't you just admit defeat (= recognize that you cannot do something) and let someone else try? Admit it! You were terrified! admit (that)… They freely admit (that) they still have a lot to learn. You must admit that it all sounds very strange. admit to somebody that… I couldn't admit to my parents that I was finding the course difficult. be admitted that… It was generally admitted that the government had acted too quickly. be admitted to be, have, etc. something The appointment is now generally admitted to have been a mistake. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfreely, readily, frankly, … verb + admitbe forced to, have to, must, … prepositionto phrasesI don’t mind admitting See full entry accept blame
- 2 [intransitive, transitive] to say that you have done something wrong or illegal synonym confess admit to something He refused to admit to the other charges. admit to doing something She admitted to having stolen the car. admit something She admitted theft. He refused to admit his guilt. admit doing something She admitted having driven the car without insurance. Synonymsadmitacknowledge recognize concede confessThese words all mean to agree, often unwillingly, that something is true.admit to agree, often unwillingly, that something is true:It was a stupid thing to do, I admit.acknowledge (rather formal) to accept that something exists, is true or has happened:She refuses to acknowledge the need for reform.recognize to admit or be aware that something exists or is true:They recognized the need to take the problem seriously.concede (rather formal) to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true or logical:He was forced to concede (that) there might be difficulties.admit or concede?When somebody admits something, they are usually agreeing that something which is generally considered bad or wrong is true or has happened, especially when it relates to their own actions. When somebody concedes something, they are usually accepting, unwillingly, that a particular fact or statement is true or logical.confess (rather formal) to admit something that you feel ashamed or embarrassed about:She was reluctant to confess her ignorance.Patterns to admit/acknowledge/recognize/concede/confess that… to admit/confess to something to admit/concede/confess something to somebody to admit/acknowledge/recognize the truth to admit/confess your mistakes/ignorance Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbfreely, readily, frankly, … verb + admitbe forced to, have to, must, … prepositionto phrasesI don’t mind admitting See full entry allow to enter/join
- 3 [transitive] (formal) to allow somebody/something to enter a place admit somebody/something Each ticket admits one adult. admit somebody/something to/into something You will not be admitted to the theatre after the performance has started. The narrow windows admit little light into the room.
- 4[transitive] (formal) to allow somebody to become a member of a club, a school or an organization admit somebody The society admits all US citizens over 21. admit somebody to/into something Women were only admitted into the club last year. See related entries: Teaching and learning, Access to education to hospital
- 5[transitive, often passive] admit somebody to/into a hospital, an institution, etc. (formal) to take somebody to a hospital, or other institution where they can receive special care Two crash victims were admitted to the local hospital. WordfinderhospitalA & E, admit, consultant, doctor, hospital, ICU, inpatient, nurse, operation, ward More Like This Consonant-doubling verbs bob, club, dub, grab, rub, sob, throb kid, nod, pad, plod, prod, shred, skid, thud beg, blog, bug, drag, drug, flag, hug, jog, log, mug, nag, plug bar, confer, infer, occur, prefer, refer, star, stir, transfer acquit, admit, allot, chat, clot, commit, jut, knit, pat, regret, rot, spot, submit (in British English:) appal, cancel, channel, control, counsel, enrol, equal, excel, fuel, fulfil, label, level, marvel, model, pedal, quarrel, signal, travelSee worksheet. See related entries: Hospitals, Medical equipment Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin admittere, from ad- ‘to’ + mittere ‘send’.Extra examples You will not be admitted to the theatre after the performance has started. He admitted to feeling a bit tired. He freely admitted that he had taken bribes. He had caused her more pain than she cared to admit. He was honest enough to admit his mistake in the end. I hate to admit it, but I think he is right. I must admit that the results were disappointing. I was scared and I don’t mind admitting it. In the end he’d done a good job, Carol admitted grudgingly. She dared not admit her fear. She would be the first to admit that she is very difficult to work with. Some admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise. ‘I’m very nervous,’ she admitted reluctantly. Don’t be afraid to admit (to) your mistakes. I couldn’t admit to my parents that I was finding the course difficult. It was generally admitted that the government had acted too quickly. She refused to admit to the other charges. The appointment is now generally admitted to have been a mistake. The hospital has admitted liability for the accident. Why don’t you just admit defeat? You must admit that it all sounds very strange. Phrasal Verbsadmit of
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BrE BrE//ədˈmɪt//; NAmE NAmE//ədˈmɪt//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they admit BrE BrE//ədˈmɪt//; NAmE NAmE//ədˈmɪt//
he / she / it admits BrE BrE//ədˈmɪts//; NAmE NAmE//ədˈmɪts//
past simple admitted BrE BrE//ədˈmɪtɪd//; NAmE NAmE//ədˈmɪtɪd//
past participle admitted BrE BrE//ədˈmɪtɪd//; NAmE NAmE//ədˈmɪtɪd//
-ing form admitting BrE BrE//ədˈmɪtɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ədˈmɪtɪŋ//
Hospitals, Medical equipment, Teaching and learning, Access to educationCheck pronunciation: admit
