Meaning & use
admission of defeat
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
A statement or act in which someone accepts that they have lost a fight, contest, or argument.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: an admission of defeat, or the admission of defeat.
Patterns
- an admission of defeat
- make an admission of defeat
- see something as an admission of defeat
After three days of talks, the union leader made a public admission of defeat.
Signing the agreement was, in effect, an admission of defeat for the company.
He refused to shake hands because he saw it as an admission of defeat.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
An act of accepting that you cannot do something or that your efforts have failed.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like be, seem, or amount to: This amounts to an admission of defeat.
Patterns
- be an admission of defeat
- amount to an admission of defeat
- treat something as an admission of defeat
Asking for help felt like an admission of defeat to him.
Closing the project early was an admission of defeat, but the money had run out.
She kept trying because she did not want to make an admission of defeat.
Common combinations
- make an admission of defeat
- The manager finally made an admission of defeat and resigned.
- a public admission of defeat
- His speech included a public admission of defeat.
- amount to an admission of defeat
- Withdrawing the troops amounted to an admission of defeat.
- an admission of defeat for someone
- The court ruling was an admission of defeat for the campaigners.
- see something as an admission of defeat
- Many fans saw the draw as an admission of defeat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- concession
- A concession is something you agree to give up in order to end a disagreement; it may be only one point, while an admission of defeat means accepting that you have lost overall.
- surrender
- Surrender usually means actually stopping the fight and giving control to the other side, often in war; an admission of defeat can be only a spoken or written statement.
- capitulation
- Capitulation is a formal, often disapproving word for giving in completely to an opponent's demands; it is stronger and more negative than an admission of defeat.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: admission of defeat or admission fee? admission of defeat or confession?
admission of defeat vs admission fee
An admission fee is money you pay to enter a place. 'Admission' in 'admission of defeat' means accepting that something is true.
admission of defeat vs confession
A confession usually means admitting you did something wrong or illegal; an admission of defeat is about losing, not about guilt.
Practice
After losing the final match, the captain said, "This is a bitter ___ for us."
Choose one answer.
'Admission of defeat' means accepting that you have lost, which fits losing a final match. 'Admission of entry' is not a natural phrase, 'admission fee' is money paid to enter, and 'admission of guilt' is about accepting blame for a wrongdoing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “admission of defeat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.