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.
Four of the fires that Aaron Farinacci, 37, confessed to starting have been corroborated by detectives, prosecutors said. — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 Nikki Rodriguez’s character might still technically be dating Alex, but that isn’t stopping her from flirting with his brother after confessing her love in the season 2 finale. — Kat Pettibone, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026 When interviewed separately, Klepak confessed to having sex with the juvenile, authorities said. — Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 Cole joined the group but later confessed everything to Kacie, who laughed it off, allowing the couple to move past the incident before their wedding. — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 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 7 Aug. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on confess

Nglish: Translation of confess for Spanish Speakers

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