confess
Americanverb (used with object)
-
confesses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confessed,
past participle, past
-
confessing
present participle
-
to acknowledge or avow (a fault, crime, misdeed, weakness, etc.) by way of revelation.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
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to own or admit as true.
I must confess that I haven't read the book.
- Antonyms:
- deny
-
to declare or acknowledge (one's sins), especially to God or a priest in order to obtain absolution.
-
(of a priest) to hear the confession of (a person).
-
to acknowledge one's belief or faith in; declare adherence to.
-
to reveal by circumstances.
verb (used without object)
-
confesses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confessed,
past participle, past
-
confessing
present participle
-
to make confession plead guilty; own.
to confess to a crime.
-
to make confession of sins, especially to a priest.
-
(of a priest) to hear confession.
verb
-
to make an acknowledgment or admission (of faults, misdeeds, crimes, etc)
-
(tr) to admit or grant to be true; concede
-
Christianity RC Church to declare (one's sins) to God or to a priest as his representative, so as to obtain pardon and absolution
Synonym Usage
See acknowledge.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preconfessverb (used with object)
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confessableadjective
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half-confessedadjective
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unconfessedadjective
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unconfessingadjective
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confessinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confesssimple
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confessessimple
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have confessedperfect
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has confessedperfect
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am confessingprogressive
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are confessingprogressive
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is confessingprogressive
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have been confessingperfect progressive
-
has been confessingperfect progressive
Past
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confessedsimple
-
had confessedperfect
-
was confessingprogressive
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were confessingprogressive
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had been confessingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confess
1300–50; Middle English confessen < Anglo-French, Old French confesser < Medieval Latin confessāre, verbal derivative of Latin confessus, past participle of confitērī to admit, confess, equivalent to con- con- + -fitērī, combining form of fatērī to admit
Explanation
When you confess, you admit to doing something wrong. You might feel guilty about eating the entire platter of chocolate chip cookies and confess to your mom before she notices. If she presses charges, you would confess to the cookie crime. Confess can be used to describe admitting to committing a crime. If you watch crime shows on TV, you've likely seen detectives trying to get a suspect to confess. Confess can also be used in a religious context. Catholics confess their sins to a priest on a regular basis. Don't confuse the word confess with apology. An apology involves expressing regret about something. When you confess, you're merely owning up to doing it — you might not be sorry.
Vocabulary lists containing confess
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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"America"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Catholics are supposed to confess our sins privately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
I must confess that I long ago lost interest in what he was selling.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
But if Reut didn't shoot her, why would he confess?
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The first was that a key witness, one who claimed he had heard Whitton confess to the crime while in prison, had lied to the court about having a criminal record.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
He made his opponent confess that Dulcinea was far superior and more beautiful than his Casildea.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Unless Devine confesses to anything, the wicketkeeper is the star witness for the prosecution and the defence.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
He confesses to catching one game—a victory for Spain—in a ramshackle café in a Galician village.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Muir confesses that this feature of the market is overlooked by many market players, partly because it’s esoteric and seemingly innocuous.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
As a soccer enthusiast, Luna has played many positions — all of them rather poorly, he confesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
"I have always wanted to know what you did at those sleepover gatherings of yours," Didu confesses to Shanti one afternoon.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
“I do own the property,” he finally confessed.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I’m not swayed by flattery, just as I’m not affected by insults. ... I’ve faced the most attacks in my own country, not abroad,” Barton confessed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Anger has intensified since police charged a local man, who has allegedly confessed to sparking one of the fires.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
And the silence of the confessed killer—who is now trying to withdraw his guilty plea— adds to the intrigue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“For most of the project, I think I was along for the ride, helping Fred,” I confessed.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Sigmund Freud famously asked, “What does a woman want,” while confessing that he hadn’t the faintest idea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
By genuinely confessing on the dance floor, Madonna has made a far more moving and crucial “biopic” than any shiny studio film could afford her.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has put her legendary Los Angeles estate on the market for $29.9 million—nearly two years after confessing that she wanted to leave the U.S. for good and move abroad.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
One of the boys who took it hid it in his loft in Ireland before confessing to his son before his death.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
“I feel terrible confessing this, but I’ve given up my running,” Luke says.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
