admit

verb

ad·mit | \ əd-ˈmit

, ad-\

admitted; admitting

Definition of admit

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to allow scope for : permit admits no possibility of misunderstanding

b : to concede as true or valid admitted making a mistake

2a : to allow entry (as to a place, fellowship, or privilege) an open window had admitted rain admitted to the club

b : to accept into a hospital as an inpatient he was admitted last night for chest pains

intransitive verb

1 : to give entrance or access

2a : allow, permit admits of two interpretations

b : to make acknowledgment —used with to admitted to having doubts

admit

noun

Definition of admit (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person who is admitted into a school, hospital, etc. When a patient is transferred, the nurse will take the next new admit—unless her patient is transferred to a hospital for only a temporary stay.— Sally Seaver

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about admit

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Synonyms & Antonyms for admit

Synonyms: Verb

acknowledge, agree, allow, concede, confess, fess (up), grant, own (up to)

Antonyms: Verb

deny

Choose the Right Synonym for admit

Verb

acknowledge, admit, own, avow, confess mean to disclose against one's will or inclination. acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed. acknowledged an earlier peccadillo admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications. admitted the project was over budget own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself. must own I know little about computers avow implies boldly declaring, often in the face of hostility, what one might be expected to be silent about. avowed that he was a revolutionary confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt. confessed a weakness for sweets

Examples of admit in a Sentence

Verb

You know you're wrong! Admit it! I hate to admit it, but he's right.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Investigators: Reader admits to a gambling problem Investigators from the State Auditor's Office went back three years and allege Reader had more than $17,000 worth of gambling losses. — Madeline Mitchell, Cincinnati.com, "Auditor's report on Pike County Sheriff: Gambling, seized cash and impounded vehicles," 3 Sep. 2019 For example, the company settled a claim about an unsafe motorcycle helmet—arising from a deadly 2014 accident—for a paltry $5,000, without admitting liability. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "When it comes to product safety, Amazon says it doesn’t really sell things," 24 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'admit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for admit

Verb

Middle English admitten, borrowed from Anglo-French admitter, admetter, admettre, borrowed from Latin admittere "to allow entrance or approach," from ad- ad- + mittere "to release, let go, discharge, let fly, throw down, send (for a purpose)," perhaps going back to Indo-European *mei̯th₂- "alternate, exchange, remove" (assuming sense shift "exchange" > "give, bestow" > "let go, send"), from whence, with varying ablaut grades, Sanskrit méthati "treats hostilely, abuses," mitháḥ "mutually, alternately," míthū "in opposed directions, wrongly," Avestan mōiθat̰ "will deprive," hǝ̄m.aibī.mōist "(s/he) joins," West Germanic *meiþ-a- "conceal, avoid" (presumably "remove" > "remove oneself"), whence Old English mīðan "to conceal, dissemble," Old Saxon miđan, Old High German mīdan "to avoid, shy away from, conceal"

Note: See also forms at etymology of mutable descending from a causative derivative *moi̯th2-. The short vowel and geminate consonant in mittere is usually explained as an instance of the "littera-rule" (or "Iuppiter-rule"), whereby certain pre-Latin diphthongs are resolved as either long vowel + single consonant or short vowel + geminate consonant; however, in most such cases examples of both alternates are attested, though in this instance no attestation of mīt- is known.

Noun

derivative of admit entry 1

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More Definitions for admit

admit

verb

English Language Learners Definition of admit

: to say usually in an unwilling way tha

admit

Definition of admit

Synonyms & Antonyms for admit

Choose the Right Synonym for admit

Examples of admit in a Sentence

First Known Use of admit

History and Etymology for admit

English Language Learners Definition of admit

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