What it means
To own up means admitting you did it, especially when you've messed something up, instead of ducking it or trying to pin it on someone else. You own up to breaking something, forgetting something, or making a stupid call. It's about being straight and taking the blame with your chest.
Usage examples
"He finally owned up to scratching the car and offered to pay for it."
"Come on, own up, who ate the last slice of cake?"
"Just own up if you broke it, mate, we all saw you near the shelf, no point pretending now."
"Nobody would own up to setting off the fire alarm, so the whole office stood outside in the rain."
"Right, who binned my charger then? Own up and I might not go full goblin about it."
Where it comes from
Own up comes from the older verb own, meaning to admit or acknowledge something as yours. The up part got added for emphasis, and by the late 1800s the full phrase was common in everyday English for confessing, especially when someone had done wrong and finally stopped dodging it.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Tiny Secret Judge Official watcher of this expression
Tell me, what have you got for me?