confess

American  

[kuhn-fes] / kənˈfɛs /

verb (used with object)

1. to acknowledge or avow (a fault, crime, misdeed, weakness, etc.) by way of revelation.

   Antonyms:

   conceal

2. to own or admit as true.

   I must confess that I haven't read the book.

   Synonyms:

   concede, grant

   Antonyms:

   deny

3. to declare or acknowledge (one's sins), especially to God or a priest in order to obtain absolution.

4. (of a priest) to hear the confession of (a person).

5. to acknowledge one's belief or faith in; declare adherence to.

6. to reveal by circumstances.

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verb (used without object)

1. to make confession plead guilty; own.

   to confess to a crime.

2. to make confession of sins, especially to a priest.

3. (of a priest) to hear confession.

confess British  

/ kənˈfɛs /

verb

1. to make an acknowledgment or admission (of faults, misdeeds, crimes, etc)

2. (tr) to admit or grant to be true; concede

3. Christianity RC Church to declare (one's sins) to God or to a priest as his representative, so as to obtain pardon and absolution

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Related Words

See acknowledge.

Other Word Forms

• confessable adjective
• confessingly adverb
• half-confessed adjective
• preconfess verb (used with object)
• unconfessed adjective
• unconfessing adjective

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.

Example Sentences

The bot’s final product is exactly that: an essay that pretends to divulge, to confess, to promise, and to portray.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

But on 6 August last year, 999 operators received a strange and alarming call from the boy - who said he had decided to confess after being unable to escape his back garden.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

While I confess to having more than three bedrooms in my colonial, I’ll continue to drive my 2014 Jeep until the engine fails or the car rusts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Yet I confess I have a soft spot for the Dow.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Related Words

• acknowledge
• assert
• blurt out
• concede
• confide
• declare
• disclose
• divulge
• profess
• prove
• recognize
• relate
• reveal