confess

verb

con·​fess kən-ˈfes How to pronounce confess (audio)
confessed; confessing; confesses
Synonyms of confess

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 How to pronounce confess (audio)
adjective

Synonyms of confess

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acknowledge, admit, own, avow, confess mean to disclose against one's will or inclination.

acknowledge implies the disclosing of something that has been or might be concealed.

acknowledged an earlier peccadillo

admit implies reluctance to disclose, grant, or concede and refers usually to facts rather than their implications.

admitted the project was over budget

own implies acknowledging something in close relation to oneself.

must own I know little about computers

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

confess may apply to an admission of a weakness, failure, omission, or guilt.

confessed a weakness for sweets

Examples of confess in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Michalski vanished after a night of clubbing in central Budapest; security footage led police to the suspect, who confessed and was convicted of murder without possibility of parole. — Associate Press, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 At the time, the movie superstar confessed to nervously practicing the song alone in his pickup truck, in his garage, to get the complicated rap right. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 8 July 2026 After months of silence, the doctor confessed last month to killing a dozen seriously ill patients during home visits, dpa reported. — ABC News, 8 July 2026 Emerald Isle, North Carolina, confesses its obvious charms—brilliant blue-green waters, a verdant maritime forest, and lush marshes—in its name. — Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for confess

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 *bhh2-to- "spoken" or *bhh2-t- "who speaks," from the verbal base *bheh2- "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

Time Traveler
The first known use of confess was in the 14th century

Rhymes for confess

See All Rhymes for confess

Browse Nearby Words

Confervoideae
confess
confessant
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Confess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confess. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

confess

verb
con·​fess kən-ˈfes How to pronounce confess (audio)
1
: to make known (as something wrong)
2
a
: to admit one's sins to God or to a priest
b
: to hear the confession of
the priest confessed the penitents

Legal Definition

confess

transitive verb
con·​fess kən-ˈfes How to pronounce confess (audio)
: 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
confessor
kən-ˈfe-sər How to pronounce confess (audio)
noun

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Nglish: Translation of confess for Spanish Speakers

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