admit

1 of 2

verb

ad·​mit əd-ˈmit How to pronounce admit (audio)
ad-
admitted; admitting
Synonyms of admitnext

transitive verb

1
a
: to allow scope for : permit
admits no possibility of misunderstanding
b
: to concede as true or valid
admitted making a mistake
2
a
: 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
2
a
: allow, permit
admits of two interpretations
b
: to make acknowledgment
—used with to
admitted to having doubts

admit

2 of 2

noun

US
: 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

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for admit

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. This ticket admits one person. He admitted them into his office. They refused to admit her to the club. The patient was very sick when she was admitted to the hospital. He was admitted last night for chest pains. The judge decided to admit the evidence.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Taylor, on the other hand, was the quintessential (and later, admitted) narcissist and liar. —Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 28 Nov. 2024 Canada Goose is one of the biggest names in high-quality winter wear, and Travel + Leisure editors admitted that the brand does, in fact, live up to the hype. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
Although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is more ideological than many admit, Beijing’s motivations in pursuing these goals are largely not ideological. —Elbridge Colby, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2020 An earlier version of this story contained some incorrect admit rates for students with scores above and below an SAT score of 1400. —Joseph Soares, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for admit 

Word History

Etymology

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; 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

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of admit was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing admit

Dictionary Entries Near admit

admissions officer

admit

admit defeat

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Admit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admit. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

admit

verb
ad·​mit əd-ˈmit How to pronounce admit (audio)
ad-
admitted; admitting
1
a
: to allow room for : permit
a question that admits two answers
b
: to make known usually with some unwillingness
admitted that he really didn't know
admit a mistake
2
: to allow entry : let in
admit a state to the Union

Medical Definition

admit

transitive verb
ad·​mit əd-ˈmit, ad- How to pronounce admit (audio)
admitted; admitting
: to accept (someone) into a hospital, clinic, or other treatment facility as an inpatient
he was admitted last night for chest pains

Legal Definition

admit

verb
ad·​mit
admitted; admitting

transitive verb

1
: to concede as true or valid : make an admission of
2
: to allow to be entered or offered
admitted the document into evidence
admit a will to probate

intransitive verb

: to make acknowledgment
—used with to
admits to the murder

More from Merriam-Webster on admit

Nglish: Translation of admit for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of admit for Arabic Speakers

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