Dictionary

admit en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ədˈmɪt/

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (transitive) To allow to enter; to grant entrance (to), whether into a place, into the mind, or into consideration.
   • Her eyes are homes of silent prayer, ⁠Nor other thought her mind admits ⁠But, he was dead, and there he sits, And he that brought him back is there. 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 51:
   • By Saad’s accounting – and this is not dissimilar from the white nationalist “great replacement theory” – western societies are bringing about their own destruction by admitting immigrants from poorer, browner and more Muslim countries. 2025 April 8, Julia Carrie Wong, “Loathe thy neighbor: Elon Musk and the Christian right are waging war on empathy”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2025:
   • to admit evidence in the trial of a cause
   • A ticket admits one into a playhouse.
   • to admit a serious thought into the mind
   • They were admitted into his house.
2. (transitive) To allow (someone) to enter a profession or to enjoy a privilege; to recognize as qualified for a franchise.
   • to admit an attorney to practice law
   • The prisoner was admitted to bail.
3. (intransitive, transitive) To concede as true; to acknowledge or assent to, as an allegation which it is impossible to deny (+ to).
   • She admitted taking drugs / she admitted to taking drugs.
   • His sister, Patti, also admitted taking drugs, […] 2011, Kitty Kelley, Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography, →ISBN:
   • She was trapped into admitting the truth.
   • Police officers at a checkpoint in Bangkok's Huay Kwang district admitted to extorting 27,000 baht from a Taiwanese actress […] 2023 January 30, “Bangkok police admit to extorting 27,000 baht from Taiwanese actress”, in The Nation, Bangkok: The Nation Multimedia, archived from the original on 08 Jun 2023:
   • However, a Carlisle newspaper got hold of the story, and at the half-yearly meeting of the Caledonian Railway Company, held on March 17, 1863, a shareholder, Mr. Meiklem, questioned the Chairman, Lt.-Col. Salkeld, regarding a "Chase of Engines," described in the newspaper article. The Chairman admitted that the statements made in the article were perfectly true. 1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, pages 54–55:
   • He admitted his guilt.
   • the argument or fact is admitted
4. (transitive) To be capable of; to permit. In this sense, "of" may be used after the verb, or may be omitted.
   • The words do not admit such a construction.
   • There is no tree admits of transplantation so well as the Elm, for a tree of twenty years growth will admit of a remove. 1761, John Mordant, The Complete Steward:
   • Four bells admit twenty-four changes in ringing. 1669, William Holder, Elements of Speech:
   • I received a phone call last Wednesday telling me Carl Wittman had died. We had heard that he had been diagnosed several weeks before as having AIDS, but that his prognosis admitted a possible 18 more months. 1986 February 15, Michael Bronski, “Carl Wittman: An Activist's Life”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 31, page 7:
5. (intransitive, with-of) To give warrant or allowance, to grant opportunity or permission.
   • The text does not admit of this interpretation.
   • Circumstances do not admit of this.
6. (transitive) To allow to enter a hospital or similar facility for treatment.
   • "This shocking report proves once again that we urgently need a radical shake-up of hospital care," said Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society. "Given that people with dementia occupy a quarter of hospital beds and that many leave in worse health than when they were admitted, it is unacceptable that training in dementia care is not the norm." 2011 December 16, Denis Campbell, “Hospital staff 'lack skills to cope with dementia patients'”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 01 Mar 2020:

Forms

Deriveds

admittedly · readmit · admittable · unadmitted · coadmit · admitter · admitting · unadmittable · preadmit · nonadmitted · re-admit · unadmitting · admittingly · admittance · unadmittedly · admittee · admit defeat

Relateds

admission · admissible · mission

Synonyms

let in (to allow entry to) · inlet (to allow entry to) · confess · acknowledge (to recognise as true) · grant (to recognise as true) · own (to recognise as true) · own up · allow

Translations (202)

gu દાખલ કરવું (admit into hospital) · nl bekennen (concede as true) · sc atorgare (concede as true) · pt permitir (be capable of) · fj vakadinata (allow to enter) · fi sallia (be capable of) · sc attrogare (concede as true) · cmn 住院 (admit into hospital) · nl toegang verlenen (allow to enter) · ro admite (concede as true) · cy cyfaddef (concede as true) · ru разреши́ть (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · gl deixar entrar (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · cmn 賦予權限 /赋予权限 (give warrant or allowance) · ca admetre (allow to enter) · sv tillstå (concede as true) · be прызна́ць (concede as true) · hi प्रवेश देना (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · ru допуска́ть (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · fi päästää (sisään) (allow to enter) · ru призна́ть (concede as true) · uk визнава́ти (concede as true) · hu elismer (concede as true) · fr reconnaître (concede as true) · zdj ukuɓali (concede as true) · ca admetre (concede as true) · fr avouer (concede as true) · cmn 准許從業 /准许从业 (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · nl toelaten (allow to enter) · da indlægge (allow to enter) · nl toelaten (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · sc ammíttere (concede as true) · ca deixar (be capable of) · cs připustit (concede as true) · cmn 授權 /授权 (give warrant or allowance) · ru признава́ть (concede as true) · nl toestaan (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · gl permitir (be capable of) · hi स्वीकृति (concede as true) · da tillade (be capable of) · ru допуска́ть (concede as true) · pl dopuszczać (allow to enter) · da indrømme (concede as true) · cmn 認可資格 /认可资格 (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · cmn 能夠 /能够 (be capable of) · eo agnoski (concede as true) · hu beenged (allow to enter) · uk признава́ти (concede as true) · la fateor (concede as true) · uk дозволя́ти (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · es ingresar (admit into hospital) · cmn 認可 /认可 (concede as true) · hy ընդունել (allow to enter) · es dar entrada (allow to enter) · uk пуска́ти (allow to enter) · fi hyväksyä (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · fi sallia (allow to enter) · ota طانیمق (concede as true) · cy gadael i mewn (allow to enter) · eo permesi (be capable of) · hy ընդունել (concede as true) · sv tillåta (be capable of) · bg допуска́м (allow to enter) · vi thừa nhận (concede as true) · bg допуска́м (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · es dejar entrar (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · fr admettre (admit into hospital) · gd aidich (concede as true) · cmn 承認 /承认 (concede as true) · cs přiznat (concede as true) · ta ஒத்துக்கொள் (concede as true) · cmn 收治 (admit into hospital) · fi myöntää (concede as true) · es admitir (concede as true) · hu bebocsát (allow to enter) · bg позволя́вам (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · ru приня́ть (admit into hospital) · ru допуска́ть (be capable of) · fi myöntää (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · hi प्रवेश देना (allow to enter) · uk ви́знати (concede as true) · nn tilstå (concede as true) · hi मानना (concede as true) · da tillade (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · grc δέχομαι (concede as true) · ru пуска́ть (allow to enter) · hy ընդունել (admit into hospital) · ru позволя́ть (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · bg пускам да влезе (allow to enter) · sdc ammittí (concede as true) · fr admettre (concede as true) · ko 승인하다 (concede as true) · gl admitir (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · bg признава́м (concede as true) · pt aceitar (concede as true) · io enirigar (allow to enter) · hu bevall (concede as true) · gl admitir (concede as true) · it far entrare (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · ru допуска́ть (allow to enter) · nb tilstå (concede as true) · cmn 准許入院 (admit into hospital) · cs přiznávat (concede as true) · pl dopuścić (allow to enter) · el παραδέχομαι (concede as true) · hi स्वीकृति (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · fi suoda (give warrant or allowance) · uk впуска́ти (allow to enter) · vi nhập viện (admit into hospital) · nl binnenlaten (allow to enter) · pt admitir (concede as true) · eo allasi (allow to enter) · sv tillåta (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · nl toestaan (be capable of) · gl recoñecer (concede as true) · es reconocer (concede as true) · ja 承認する (concede as true) · ca reconèixer (concede as true) · ru впуска́ть (allow to enter) · gl admitir (allow to enter) · mi whāki (concede as true) · ru принима́ть (admit into hospital) · ko 인정하다 (concede as true) · ru позво́лить (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · de zulassen (allow to enter) · it riconoscere (concede as true) · kk мойындау (concede as true) · eo konfesi (concede as true) · nb innrømme (concede as true) · sh prìznati (concede as true) · fr admettre (allow to enter) · sv medge (concede as true) · pt reconhecer (concede as true) · pt admitir (be capable of) · it ammettere (concede as true) · cmn 准許經營特許權 /准许经营特许权 (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · ang andettan (concede as true) · ru допусти́ть (allow to enter) · ca permetre (be capable of) · la intrōmittō (allow to enter) · ru допусти́ть (be capable of) · grc προσδέχομαι (concede as true) · cmn 獲准 (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · uk допуска́ти (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · cmn 允許 /允许 (give warrant or allowance) · ru пусти́ть (allow to enter) · sl priznati (concede as true) · nb slippe inn (allow to enter) · pl przyznać (concede as true) · pt admitir (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · ru разреша́ть (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · la admittō (allow to enter) · nl toegeven (concede as true) · la confiteor (concede as true) · ca permetre (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · es permitir (be capable of) · sc ammíttere (concede as true) · it ricoverare (admit into hospital) · ru допусти́ть (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · ca ingressar (admit into hospital) · sv bekänna (concede as true) · pt admitir (allow to enter) · mi tuku (allow to enter) · uk припусти́ти (concede as true) · be прызнава́ць (concede as true) · hy ընդունել (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · ja 認める (concede as true) · uk припуска́ти (concede as true) · fi ottaa sisään (admit into hospital) · he הוֹדָה (concede as true) · zza rast biyen (concede as true) · hu beismer (concede as true) · sv erkänna (concede as true) · pl wpuścić (allow to enter) · cy addef (concede as true) · ca fer entrar (allow (one) to enter on an office or to enjoy a privilege) · de einlassen (allow to enter) · fj vakadinata (concede as true) · ar أَعْتَرَفَ (concede as true) · uk дозволя́ти (allow to enter) · nl toelaten (be capable of) · cmn 允許進入 /允许进入 (allow to enter) · ro recunoaște (concede as true) · da indlægge (admit into hospital) · pl wpuszczać (allow to enter) · cmn 允許 /允许 (be capable of) · de einweisen (admit into hospital) · de eingestehen (concede as true) · pl przyznawać (concede as true) · ru допусти́ть (concede as true) · ru впусти́ть (allow to enter) · cmn 接納 /接纳 (allow to enter) · ja 認める (allow to enter) · sv bekräfta (concede as true) · sv släppa in (allow to enter) · de zugeben (concede as true) · uk призна́ти (concede as true) · nb innlegge (admit into hospital) · uk допуска́ти (be capable of) · de erlauben (be capable of) · es admitir (allow to enter) · hi भर्ती (admit into hospital)