fess
verb
\ ˈfes
\
\
fessed;
fessing;
fesses
Definition of fess
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to own up : confess
—usually used with up
fess
noun
\ ˈfes
\
\
variants:
or less commonly fesse
Definition of fess (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a broad horizontal bar across the middle of a heraldic field
2
: the center point of an armorial escutcheon
Examples of fess in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The sisters all agree that this tracks, but the real issue arises when Woods doesn't immediately fess up to having an inappropriate interaction with him. — Morgan Baila, refinery29.com, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians' Finale Part One Shows The Jordyn-Tristan Scandal In Real Time," 25 June 2019 But now, less than a decade into this experiment, the industry is ‘fessing up. — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "Meet the Humble CEO Who Wants to Build the Biggest Cybersecurity Company Ever—Data Sheet," 6 Aug. 2019 Scott said no one asked him how the patient died and acknowledged the immunity deal allowed him to finally fess up. — Brian Melley, The Denver Post, "Witness at Navy SEAL trial says he killed victim out of mercy," 20 June 2019 Scott said no one asked him how the patient died and acknowledged the immunity deal allowed him to finally fess up. — Washington Post, "Witness at Navy SEAL trial: I killed victim out of mercy," 20 June 2019 Scott said no one asked him how the patient died and cited the immunity deal that allowed him to finally fess up. — Author: Julie Watson, Brian Melley, Anchorage Daily News, "Witness at Navy SEAL’s trial admits killing wounded teenage ISIS prisoner," 20 June 2019 If that’s the case, the officials have never 'fessed up. — Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, "Call to raid Area 51 draws hordes of alien hunters on Facebook," 12 July 2019 During a recent appearance at Leicester University, Middleton fessed up to a fan. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Admits She's "So Bad" at Italian—But Will Make Sure Her Children Are Better," 30 Nov. 2018 The little girl at first denied placing the $162 order, but eventually fessed up. — Matthew Hennessey, WSJ, "Siri, Why Do I Feel Like I’m Being Watched?," 10 Aug. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Not until after the game -- LSU beat South Carolina 6-4 to stay alive in the SEC Tournament -- did Peterson fess up. — Christopher Dabe, NOLA.com, "Todd Peterson's high school coach tells truth about LSU pitcher's hitting ability," 25 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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