confess
verb
con·fess
| \ kən-ˈfes
\
\
confessed;
confessing;
confesses
Definition of confess
1
: to tell or make known (something, such as something wrong or damaging to oneself) : admit
he confessed his guilt
2a
: 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
1a
: 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
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Other Words from confess
confessable
\ kən-ˈfe-sə-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for confess
Synonyms
admit, cop (to) [slang], fess (up), own (up)
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Their convictions were vacated in 2002 after another man confessed to the crime. — NBC News, "Leading expert explains why you would falsely confess to a crime you did not commit," 6 Sep. 2019 Five Harlem teenagers were convicted in the Central Park case but had their convictions vacated years later after another man confessed to the rape. — Colleen Long, Twin Cities, "US government will execute inmates for first time since 2003," 26 July 2019 Five Harlem teenagers were convicted in the Central Park case but had their convictions vacated years later after another man confessed to the rape. — Michael Balsamo And Colleen Long, chicagotribune.com, "U.S. to resume executions for first time since 2003, starting in December with 5 inmates," 25 July 2019 Five Harlem teenagers were convicted in the Central Park case but had their convictions vacated years later after another man confessed to the rape. — Anchorage Daily News, "US government will execute inmates for first time since 2003," 25 July 2019 Five Harlem teenagers were convicted in the Central Park case but had their convictions vacated years later after another man confessed to the rape. — Colleen Long, The Denver Post, "U.S. death penalty: Federal government will execute inmates for first time since 2003," 25 July 2019 Authorities in the town of Pine Bluff are reviewing the death of 26-year-old Jolanda Jones after Samuel Little recently confessed to her killing. — Fox News, "Convicted serial killer Samuel Little may be linked to death of Arkansas woman," 17 July 2019 Police found the body of a missing Texas woman in a bed frame in an Austin hotel room last week after her boyfriend confessed to killing her, according to police documents. — Dallas News, "Slain woman's body found in bed frame in Texas hotel after boyfriend confesses, affidavit says," 14 July 2019 There convictions were later vacated when serial rapist and murderer Matias Reyes confessed to the rape and assault, with DNA evidence corroborating his story. — Joi-marie Mckenzie, Essence, "The Exonerated Five Get A Standing Ovation At The BET Awards 2019," 23 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for confess
confess
verb
English Language Learners Definition of confess
: to admit that you did something wrong or illegal
: to talk about or admit something that makes you embarrassed, ashamed, etc.
: to tell (your sins) to God or to a priest
See the full definition for confess in the English Language Learners Dictionary
confess
verb
con·fess
| \ kən-ˈfes
\
\
confessed;
confessing
Kids Definition of confess
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
confess
transitive verb
con·fess
| \ kən-ˈfes
\
\