Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To grant to be real, valid, or true; acknowledge or concede.
  • intransitive verb To disclose or confess (guilt or an error, for example). synonym: acknowledge.
  • intransitive verb To afford opportunity for; permit.
  • intransitive verb To allow to enter.
  • intransitive verb To grant the right to enter.
  • intransitive verb To accept into an organization or group.
  • intransitive verb To accept (someone) as an inpatient in a hospital.
  • intransitive verb To accept into evidence as relevant and otherwise admissible.
  • intransitive verb To afford possibility.
  • intransitive verb To allow entrance; afford access.
  • intransitive verb To make acknowledgment; confess.
  • noun One who is admitted.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To suffer to enter; grant or afford entrance to: as, to admit a student into college; windows admit light and air; to admit a serious thought into the mind.
  • To give right or means of entrance to: as, a ticket admits one into a theater; this key will admit you to the garden.
  • To permit to exercise a certain function; grant power to hold a certain office: as, he was admitted to the bar; to admit a man to the ministry.
  • To have capacity for the admission of at one time: as, this passage admits two abreast.
  • To grant in argument; receive as true; concede; allow: as, the argument or fact is admitted.
  • To permit, grant, allow, or be capable of: as, the words do not admit such a construction. See II.
  • To acknowledge; own; confess: as, he admitted his guilt.
  • To give warrant or allowance; grant opportunity or permission: with of: as, circumstances do not admit of this; the text does not admit of this interpretation.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To suffer to enter; to grant entrance, whether into a place, or into the mind, or consideration; to receive; to take
  • transitive verb To give a right of entrance.
  • transitive verb To allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege; to recognize as qualified for a franchise
  • transitive verb To concede as true; to acknowledge or assent to, as an allegation which it is impossible to deny; to own or confess
  • transitive verb To be capable of; to permit. In this sense, of may be used after the verb, or may be omitted.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To allow to enter; to grant entrance, whether into a place, or into the mind, or consideration; to receive; to take.
  • verb transitive To allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege; to recognize as qualified for a franchise.
  • verb transitive To concede as true; to acknowledge or assent to, as an allegation which it is impossible to deny; to own or confess.
  • verb transitive To be capable of; to permit. In this sense, "of" may be used after the verb, or may be omitted.
  • verb intransitive to give warrant or allowance, to grant opportunity or permission (+ of)
  • verb transitive To allow to enter a hospital or similar facility for treatment.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb serve as a means of entrance
  • verb declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
  • verb have room for; hold without crowding
  • verb afford possibility
  • verb allow participation in or the right to be part of; permit to exercise the rights, functions, and responsibilities of
  • verb admit into a group or community
  • verb give access or entrance to
  • verb allow to enter; grant entry to

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English amitten, admitten, from Old French amettre, admettre, from Latin admittere : ad-, ad- + mittere, to send.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English admitten, amitten, from Old French admettre, amettre ("to admit"), from Latin admittō ("to allow entrance, inlet", literally "to send to"), from ad- + mittere ("to send").

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Examples

  • Because we admit things to be true which are not true, we _admit_, then _commit_ sin, and hence suffer for sin.

    The Right Knock A Story Helen Van-Anderson

  • And I do assure you, Jim, that you couldn't have married me _validly_ from here -- and think how awful it would be, to love as much as we love and then find out that we were not _validly_ married -- and when you come to my home, and fetch me away from there, you will admit -- yes really _admit_ -- that I was right.

    The Mistress of Shenstone 1891

  • The CIA has earlier been described as "wearing body armor in headquarters ... which should tell you all you need to know" while the military contractor dudes, "Black Forest" (get it, get it?) have been described as "assassins in polo shirts," which I must admit is a nice touch.

    the a-team intertribal 2010

  • The question why legal pleadings, laws, and contracts are structured more like magical charms than we would like to admit is an interesting one and I have a working theory though much more work is needed to properly trace it.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Debating Textualism 2010

  • The CIA has earlier been described as "wearing body armor in headquarters ... which should tell you all you need to know" while the military contractor dudes, "Black Forest" (get it, get it?) have been described as "assassins in polo shirts," which I must admit is a nice touch.

    intertribal: the a-team intertribal 2010

  • This, I regretfully, admit, is what happened with Jim Lahey's No Knead Bread.

    Archive 2009-03-01 Sarah Lenz 2009

  • Jacob, I have to admit, is cute just not as hot as Edward.

    'New Moon': Team Edward or Team Jacob debate continues | EW.com 2009

  • That has hardly been studied at all, and I admit is a bit of topic.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » “Children Who Form No Racial Stereotypes Found” 2010

  • What the GOP won't admit is the the Lt. Governor is even worse, in their humble opinion: more moral but less stable ... why can't the GOP find good candidates????

    Sanford defends expensive travel, denies divorce 2009

  • Tod Thank you for the critique on my writing skills or lack of them, which I shamefully admit is a weak point, I have to admit to being more interested in substance over presentation, but the fact that you have responded to my critique of you, leads me to believe that you understand my poor grammar just fine.

    Child Abuse Alert 2009

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