admission

noun

ad·​mis·​sion əd-ˈmi-shən How to pronounce admission (audio)
ad-
plural admissions
1
: an act of admitting : the fact or state of being admitted: such as
a
: the act of allowing something for consideration before a court
A small number of jurisdictions adhere to the position that a defendant may not complain on appeal about the admission of illegally obtained evidence … if the defendant gave testimony at trial admitting possession of that evidence.Wayne R. LaFave and Jerold H. Israel
b
: the right or permission to join or enter a place, a group, etc.
countries denied admission to NATO
c(1)
: the act or process of accepting someone as a student at a school
To a large degree, American education is organized for those who are already the best educated, a fact notoriously borne out in the college admissions process, where colleges compete for the top students and are rated by the percentage of these they attract.Gerald Graff
(2)
: the fact of being accepted as a student at a school
Competition for admission to these pre-K schools is so extreme that private counselors are frequently retained … to guide the parents through the application process.Jonathan Kozol
(3)
: someone who is so admitted
California State University will accept no new admissions for the spring semester of 2013 … as part of a drastic cost-cutting strategy to reduce enrollment by about 16,000 students next spring, officials said Monday.Nanette Asimov
d
: the act or process of accepting someone into a hospital, clinic, or other treatment facility as an inpatient
The patient was unconscious upon admission to the hospital.
also : someone who is so admitted
Many new admissions are discharged after a day's examination. Hanna L. Schussheim
2
: a fee paid for entering a place (such as a theater or museum)
a museum that offers reduced admission for children
3
a
: the granting of an argument or position not fully proved : the act of acknowledging something asserted
b
: acknowledgment that a fact or statement is true
c
: a revealing statement
an admission of failure
admissive adjective

Examples of admission in a Sentence

the admission of evidence in a court of law His statement was interpreted as an admission of failure. They opposed the admission of women into the club. Her injuries were serious enough to require hospital admission. a large number of hospital admissions The school's standards of admission are high. He submitted an application for admission to the school.
Recent Examples on the Web Back home, the Chinese industry has been bullish about its recovery from the pandemic years, with reports of record box office and admissions numbers over the 2024 Spring Festival season of RMB 8.016 billion ($112 million) and 163 million, respectively. Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 Here’s what experts say is at stake Washington said while DEI looks different on every college campus, many schools focus efforts on recruitment and admissions, curriculum and special programs for underrepresented students. Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The admission will come as a relief to those who groaned through Jo Koy’s quip about the pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end at the Golden Globes in January, which elicited awkward silence and a cold reaction from Swift, who was in the audience that night. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Weekly hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Kansas City are relatively low compared to the spike in cases seen around the new year. Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Mateo Chang, an MBA admissions consultant, sent especially strong recommendations by email. Dr. Marlena Corcoran, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 College admissions upended by financial aid form glitches Feb. 12, 2024 Santa Clara admitted 1,133 students with alumni or donor connections, representing 13.1% of the class. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Similarly, Hideaway Beach admission covers food at its Snack Shack and Slice of Paradise pizza bar. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024 Here's what's happening with the strikes: The government plans to raise South Korea’s yearly medical school admission caps by 2,000, from the current 3,058. Hyung-Jin Kim and Jiwon Song, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'admission.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English admyssion, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin admissiōn-, admissiō "controlled mating (of animals), admittance to an interview," from admittere "to admit entry 1" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of admission was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near admission

Cite this Entry

“Admission.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admission. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

admission

noun
ad·​mis·​sion əd-ˈmish-ən How to pronounce admission (audio)
ad-
1
: the act of admitting
especially : an admitting of something that has not been proved
an admission of guilt
2
: the right or permission to enter
standards of admission to a school
3
: the price of entrance

Medical Definition

admission

noun
ad·​mis·​sion əd-ˈmi-shən, ad- How to pronounce admission (audio)
: the act or process of accepting someone into a hospital, clinic, or other treatment facility as an inpatient
The patient was unconscious upon admission to the hospital.
also : someone who is so admitted
Many new admissions are discharged after a day's examination. Hanna L. Schussheim, The Washington Post

Legal Definition

admission

noun
ad·​mis·​sion
1
: the act or process of admitting
admission into evidence
2
a
: a party's acknowledgment that a fact or statement is true

Note: In civil cases admissions are often agreed to and offered in writing to the court before trial as a method of reducing the number of issues to be proven at trial.

b
: a party's prior out-of-court statement or action that is inconsistent with his or her position at trial and that tends to establish guilt compare confession, declaration against interest at declaration

Note: Under the Federal Rules of Evidence an admission is not hearsay. Silence can sometimes be construed as an admission where a person would reasonably be expected to speak up.

More from Merriam-Webster on admission

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!