confession

American  

[kuhn-fesh-uhn] / kənˈfɛʃ ən /

noun

1. acknowledgment; avowal; admission.

   a confession of incompetence.

2. acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, especially to a priest to obtain absolution.

3. something that is confessed.

4. a formal, usually written, acknowledgment of guilt by a person accused of a crime.

5. Also called confession of faith.  a formal profession of belief and acceptance of doctrines, as before being admitted to church membership.

6. the tomb of a martyr or confessor or the altar or shrine connected with it.

---

confession British  

/ kənˈfɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of confessing

2. something confessed

3. an acknowledgment or declaration, esp of one's faults, misdeeds, or crimes

4. Christianity RC Church the act of a penitent accusing himself or herself of his or her sins

5. a formal public avowal of religious beliefs

6. a religious denomination or sect united by a common system of beliefs

---

confession Cultural  

1. In some church es, notably the Roman Catholic Church, a sacrament in which repentant sinners individually or as a group privately confess their sins in front of a priest and receive absolution from the guilt of their sins. In the first few centuries of Christianity, repentant sinners were assigned public penances: sinners had to stay outside the entrance of the church and ask the people going inside to pray for them. The period of public penance could be shortened through an indulgence.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preconfession
  noun
• confessionary
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of confession

1350–1400; < Latin confessiōn- (stem of confessiō ), equivalent to confess- ( see confess) + -iōn- -ion; replacing Middle English confessioun < Anglo-French

Explanation

A confession is an admission of guilt, fault, or a mistake. You’ve probably seen TV shows or movies where a detective says to a suspect "Confess!" The detective is trying to get a confession, which is a statement that admits some type of guilt. "I killed the mayor!" is a confession. "I forgot your birthday" is a confession. In some religions, confession is a sacrament where people admit their sins and seek forgiveness. When people have something painful to admit, they often start by saying, "I have a confession to make."

Example Sentences

Confession: All of this happened more than 30 years ago.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

The bizarre case was the subject of the 2017 HBO documentary “Mommy Dead and Dearest,” the 2019 Hulu miniseries “The Act” and an upcoming Lifetime docuseries “The Prison Confession of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2023

His favourite novel was John Grisham's The Confession, a legal thriller which he felt mirrored his own fate.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2023

Confession: I only eat breakfast if there are baked goods — pancakes, donuts, buttery pastries, and quick breads.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2022

Confession is popular, not of your flaws but of your sufferings, at the hands of men.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• acknowledgment
• admission
• assertion
• concession
• disclosure
• proclamation
• revelation
• statement
• story