cop to
phrasal verb
copped to; copping to; cops to
US slang
: to admit to doing (something)
He agreed to cop to a misdemeanor.
Examples of cop to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jhon Lopez Campos and Julio Beltran of El Salvador, along with Guatemalan man Brayan Heredia Escobar, copped to committing manslaughter in the first degree in death of 39-year-old Candido Guadalupe Saravia Martinez.
—
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
Not to say there isn't tragedy: Peter eventually cops to causing an accident that left his brother Brian (Daniel Monks) disabled in a wheelchair.
—Ralphie Aversa, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025
Josh Safdie would likely cop to identifying with Mauser not wisely but too well; game usually does tend to recognize game.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2025
Years from now, when this wild Sunday in Broncos history comes up in conversation, nobody will cop to leaving early.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cop to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cop%20to. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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