confess

verb

con·fess kən-ˈfes How to pronounce confess (audio)

confessed; confessing; confesses

transitive verb

: to tell or make known (something, such as something wrong or damaging to oneself) : admit

he confessed his guilt

: to acknowledge (sin) to God or to a priest

: to receive the confession of (a penitent)

: to declare faith in or adherence to : profess

: to give evidence of

Breeze, bird, and flower confess the hour …

Sir Walter Scott

intransitive verb

: to disclose one's faults

specifically : to unburden one's sins or the state of one's conscience to God or to a priest

: to hear a confession

: admit, own

confess to a crime

confessable

kən-ˈfe-sə-bəl How to pronounce confess (audio)

adjective

Example Sentences

He confessed after being questioned for many hours. He willingly confessed his crime. I have to confess that I was afraid at first. I confessed my sins to the priest.

Recent Examples on the Web O’Donnell, playing the no-nonsense homicide investigator Detective Sunday, is trying to butter him up before coaxing him to confess.

Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022 Longtime whiskey lovers cannot but confess this as one of their favorite whiskey brands.

Toby Grey, BGR, 4 Sep. 2022 VRChat is therapy for some, who confess to suicide attempts, alcoholism and various other real-world pitfalls.

John Anderson, WSJ, 26 July 2022 One man must confess a years-long lie to a friend; another must reach an agreement with his brother; a single woman ponders the difficulties of committed relationships and parenthood.

Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 15 July 2022 Musically aware folks, especially younger ones, might confess their newfound infatuation with vinyl.

Robert Ross, Robb Report, 24 May 2022 His colleagues prefer to use coercion to get a confession and a beating forces an innocent man to confess to murder.

Joan Macdonald, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022 At first, the song seems to be about someone gathering up the courage to confess their love to someone else.

Annie Zaleski, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2022 Romance is in the air as connections deepen, but not all is coming up roses when Logan decides to confess feelings that send the ship, and our leading ladies, spinning.

Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 8 Aug. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confessen "to admit, confess, (of a priest) hear a confession," borrowed from Anglo-French confesser (also continental Old French), derivative of confés "confessed, shriven," going back to Latin confessus, past participle of confiteor, confitērī "to admit (a fact, the truth of a statement or charge), reveal," from con- con- + fateor, fatērī "to accept as true, acknowledge, profess," probably a verbal derivative based on Indo-European *b^hh₂-to- "spoken" or *b^hh₂-t- "who speaks," from the verbal base *b^heh₂- "speak, say," whence also Latin for, fārī "to speak, say" — more at ban entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

单词	confesses
释义	confess verb con·fess kən-ˈfes confessed; confessing; confesses transitive verb 1 : to tell or make known (something, such as something wrong or damaging to oneself) : admit he confessed his guilt 2 a : to acknowledge (sin) to God or to a priest b : to receive the confession of (a penitent) 3 : to declare faith in or adherence to : profess 4 : to give evidence of Breeze, bird, and flower confess the hour … Sir Walter Scott intransitive verb 1 a : to disclose one's faults specifically : to unburden one's sins or the state of one's conscience to God or to a priest b : to hear a confession 2 : admit, own confess to a crime confessable kən-ˈfe-sə-bəl adjective Synonyms admit cop (to) [slang] fess (up) own (up) See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences He confessed after being questioned for many hours. He willingly confessed his crime. I have to confess that I was afraid at first. I confessed my sins to the priest. Recent Examples on the Web O’Donnell, playing the no-nonsense homicide investigator Detective Sunday, is trying to butter him up before coaxing him to confess. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022 Longtime whiskey lovers cannot but confess this as one of their favorite whiskey brands. Toby Grey, BGR, 4 Sep. 2022 VRChat is therapy for some, who confess to suicide attempts, alcoholism and various other real-world pitfalls. John Anderson, WSJ, 26 July 2022 One man must confess a years-long lie to a friend; another must reach an agreement with his brother; a single woman ponders the difficulties of committed relationships and parenthood. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 15 July 2022 Musically aware folks, especially younger ones, might confess their newfound infatuation with vinyl. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 24 May 2022 His colleagues prefer to use coercion to get a confession and a beating forces an innocent man to confess to murder. Joan Macdonald, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022 At first, the song seems to be about someone gathering up the courage to confess their love to someone else. Annie Zaleski, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2022 Romance is in the air as connections deepen, but not all is coming up roses when Logan decides to confess feelings that send the ship, and our leading ladies, spinning. Ben Flanagan \| Bflanagan@al.com, al, 8 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English confessen "to admit, confess, (of a priest) hear a confession," borrowed from Anglo-French confesser (also continental Old French), derivative of confés "confessed, shriven," going back to Latin confessus, past participle of confiteor, confitērī "to admit (a fact, the truth of a statement or charge), reveal," from con- con- + fateor, fatērī "to accept as true, acknowledge, profess," probably a verbal derivative based on Indo-European b^hh₂-to- "spoken" or b^hh₂-t- "who speaks," from the verbal base b^heh₂- "speak, say," whence also Latin for, fārī* "to speak, say" — more at ban entry 1 First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1 Kids Definition confess verb con·fess kən-ˈfes confessed; confessing 1 : to tell of doing something wrong or illegal or of something embarrassing : admit confessed to the crime confessed being jealous 2 : to admit committing sins to God or to a priest Legal Definition confess transitive verb con·fess kən-ˈfes : to admit (as a charge or allegation) as true, proven, or valid unless you answer, the petition shall be taken as confessed intransitive verb : to make a confession confesses verb present tense third-person singular of confess 1 as in admits to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid the thief confessed to dozens of robberies Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance admits tattles blabs cops (to) fesses (up) owns (up) spills talks babbles Antonyms & Near Antonyms hushes quiets (down) clams up shuts up 2 as in concedes to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly political prisoners, under threat of torture, forced to confess their guilt Synonyms & Similar Words admits concedes acknowledges agrees announces reveals discloses grants recognizes confirms tells allows declares says accepts affirms professes avows proclaims fesses (up) divulges unloads owns (up to) informs comes clean (about) warns betrays publishes exposes communicates spills unburdens unveils whispers imparts talks yields breathes squeals leaks rats broadcasts disburdens tattles blabs gives away breaks tips (off) wises (up) Antonyms & Near Antonyms denies disavows disclaims contradicts rejects disallows refutes disowns negates repudiates covers (up) disputes conceals hides rebuts obscures kids (oneself) negatives gainsays veils See More
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confess

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

Legal Definition

transitive verb

verb