confession

American  

[kuhn-fesh-uhn] / kənˈfɛʃ ən /

noun

confessions plural

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.

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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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preconfession
  noun
• confessionary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• confessions
  plural

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

See Examples For:

confession confessions

An all-time favorite line from the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is Larry David’s confession that he’s been expecting more from himself his whole life but has come to realize, “It’s just not there.”

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

First, a confession for you purists: I didn’t technically start at the “tippity top” of the island.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

There was no DNA, no eye-witnesses and no confession.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

It was an anxiety-riddled confession, so more like, I’m so sorry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

Yet, he remembered times he’d made such a confession to Otto, and his cousin would sneer, and scoff, and say things like, “How do you not know that?”

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

His successor, Pope Francis, had, starting in 2015, recognised the validity of confessions and marriages celebrated by the society's priests.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

A federal appeals court overturned Hernandez’s 2017 conviction in 2025, citing flawed jury instructions on his confessions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Presenters remarked that he would eek out personal confessions and emotional reactions from his guests through his skilful questioning.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

Jesse said that his and Ashley’s DMs had been flooded not only with messages of support but also dozens of confessions from strangers who had been through the same experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

But the confessions, though they answered questions of how and why, failed to satisfy his sense of meaningful design.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

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