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

confess

verb

as in to admit

to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid the thief confessed to dozens of robberies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

admit
cop (to)
tattle
fess (up)
own (up)
blab
talk
spill
babble

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

quiet (down)
shut up
hush
clam up

as in to concede

to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly political prisoners, under threat of torture, forced to confess their guilt

Synonyms & Similar Words

admit
concede
acknowledge
agree
announce
grant
reveal
disclose
recognize
allow
tell
say
confirm
accept
affirm
avow
declare
fess (up)
profess
come clean (about)
proclaim
own (up to)
divulge
unload
publish
inform
warn
betray
talk
expose
yield
communicate
spill
impart
unveil
whisper
unburden
broadcast
disburden
squeal
tattle
rat
breathe
leak
give away
blab
tip (off)
break
wise (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

deny
disclaim
disavow
contradict
reject
gainsay
disallow
refute
hide
dispute
conceal
repudiate
negate
rebut
negative
disown
cover (up)
obscure
veil
kid (oneself)

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of confess are acknowledge, admit, avow, and own. While all these words mean "to disclose against one's will or inclination," confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt.

confessed a weakness for sweets

In some situations, the words acknowledge and confess are roughly equivalent. However, acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed.

acknowledged an earlier peccadillo

Although the words admit and confess have much in common, admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications.

admitted the project was over budget

While the synonyms avow and confess are close in meaning, avow implies boldly declaring, often in the face of hostility, what one might be expected to be silent about.

avowed that he was a revolutionary

While in some cases nearly identical to confess, own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself.

must own I know little about computers

单词	confess
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 confess verb 1 as in to admit to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid the thief confessed to dozens of robberies Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance admit cop (to) tattle fess (up) own (up) blab talk spill babble Antonyms & Near Antonyms quiet (down) shut up hush clam up 2 as in to concede to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly political prisoners, under threat of torture, forced to confess their guilt Synonyms & Similar Words admit concede acknowledge agree announce grant reveal disclose recognize allow tell say confirm accept affirm avow declare fess (up) profess come clean (about) proclaim own (up to) divulge unload publish inform warn betray talk expose yield communicate spill impart unveil whisper unburden broadcast disburden squeal tattle rat breathe leak give away blab tip (off) break wise (up) Antonyms & Near Antonyms deny disclaim disavow contradict reject gainsay disallow refute hide dispute conceal repudiate negate rebut negative disown cover (up) obscure veil kid (oneself) See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of confess are acknowledge, admit, avow, and own. While all these words mean "to disclose against one's will or inclination," confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt. confessed a weakness for sweets In some situations, the words acknowledge and confess are roughly equivalent. However, acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed. acknowledged an earlier peccadillo Although the words admit and confess have much in common, admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications. admitted the project was over budget While the synonyms avow and confess are close in meaning, avow implies boldly declaring, often in the face of hostility, what one might be expected to be silent about. avowed that he was a revolutionary While in some cases nearly identical to confess, own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself. must own I know little about computers
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confess

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

Legal Definition

transitive verb

verb

Synonym Chooser