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admit

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admit defeat

To yield to the opposition or accept that one is wrong in some pursuit. Well, I ran a good campaign, but it is time I admitted defeat in this election.

See also: admit, defeat

admit (someone/something) into

1. To allow something to be used as evidence in a trial. The prosecuting attorney tried to admit new documents into evidence.

2. To allow one membership or entry. That university only admits the best applicants into its law program. Luckily, a worker admitted us into the store, even though it was about to close.

See also: admit

admit (one) to

1. To permit one to enter. This ticket will admit you to the art exhibit. We were admitted to the club after we showed the security guard our identification.

2. To confess or acknowledge a personal wrongdoing. When used in this way, there is no noun or pronoun between "admit" and "to." "To" can be followed by either the misdeed or the recipient of the confession. Beth finally admitted to cheating on the test. Ryan would not admit to his parents that he had damaged their car.

See also: admit

admit someone (in)to (some place)

to allow someone to enter some place. They refused to admit us into the theater.

See also: admit

admit something into something

to allow something to be introduced into something else. You cannot admit this document into the body of evidence!

See also: admit

admit something to someone

to confess something to someone. Harry admitted his error to his uncle.

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admit to something

to acknowledge or confess something; to acknowledge or confess to having done something. Max would not admit to anything.

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admit into

v.

To allow someone or something to enter or be a part of something: This school does not admit students into a degree program without a high school diploma. The judge admitted the documents into evidence. We were admitted into the theater even though we were very late.

See also: admit

admit of

v.

To allow the possibility of something: This problem admits of two very different solutions.

See also: admit, of

admit to

v.

1. To confess something to someone: I didn't want to admit my crimes to them. At first they lied, but later they admitted to the police that they had stolen the bicycle.

2. To confess something: He will never admit to feeling jealous. She admitted to her lies.

See also: admit