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UK [kənˈfes] / US verb [intransitive/transitive]
Word forms "confess":
present tense I/you/we/they confess he/she/it confesses present participle confessing past tense confessed past participle confessed
1)
a) to admit that you have committed a crime

After three hours of interrogation, he confessed everything.

confess to someone:

Eventually he confessed to the police.

confess to (doing) something:

Simpson has confessed to taking the money.

confess (that):

He later confessed that he had been involved in the attack.

b) to admit that you have done something wrong

He confessed to Sarah that he had been seeing another woman.

2) to admit something about yourself that you would not normally tell people because you are embarrassed about it or they could be disappointed by it

I had to confess my ignorance when they asked me to operate the truck.

confess (that):

He confessed he did not understand financial matters at all.

confess to someone that:

Years later Luke confessed to friends that he really fancied me.

confess to doing something:

Nick confessed to being a secret opera fan.

3) to tell a priest about the bad things you have done, and ask to be forgiven for them, especially in the Roman Catholic Church
•

English dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Confess — Con*fess , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Confessed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Confessing}.] [F. confesser, fr. L. confessus, p. p. of confiteri to confess; con + fateri to confess; akin to fari to speak. See 2d {Ban}, {Fame}.] 1. To make acknowledgment or avowal… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • confess — con·fess /kən fes/ vt: to admit (as a charge or allegation) as true, proven, or valid unless you answer, the petition shall be taken as confessed vi: to make a confession con·fes·sor /kən fe sər/ n Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law …   Law dictionary

  • Confess — Con*fess , v. i. 1. To make confession; to disclose sins or faults, or the state of the conscience. [1913 Webster] Every tongue shall confess to God. Rom. xiv. 11. [1913 Webster] 2. To acknowledge; to admit; to concede. [1913 Webster] But since… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • confess — [kən fes′] vt. [ME confessen < OFr confesser < ML(Ec) * confessare < L confessus, pp. of confiteri, to acknowledge, confess < com , together + fateri, to acknowledge; akin to fari, to speak: see FAME] 1. a) to admit (a fault or crime) …   English World dictionary

  • confess — late 14c., from O.Fr. confesser (trans. and intrans.), from V.L. *confessare, from L. confess , pp. stem of confiteri to acknowledge, from com together (see COM (Cf. com )) + fateri to admit, akin to fari speak (see FAME …   Etymology dictionary

  • confess to — To admit, acknowledge • • • Main Entry: ↑confess …   Useful english dictionary

  • confess — avow, *acknowledge, admit, own Analogous words: *grant, concede, allow: disclose, divulge, *reveal, discover: *declare, proclaim, publish Antonyms: renounce (one s beliefs, principles) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • confess — [v] admit, confirm acknowledge, affirm, allow, assert, attest, aver, avow, blow, blurt out, chirp, clue in, come clean*, come out, concede, confide, declare, disclose, divulge, dump on*, evince, finger*, fink*, grant, humble oneself, leak*, let… …   New thesaurus

  • confess — ► VERB 1) admit to a crime or wrongdoing. 2) acknowledge reluctantly. 3) declare one s sins formally to a priest. 4) (of a priest) hear the confession of. ORIGIN Old French confesser, from Latin confiteri acknowledge …   English terms dictionary

  • confess — con|fess [kənˈfes] v [I and T] [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: confesser, from Latin confiteri to confess , from com ( COM ) + fateri to confess ] 1.) to admit, especially to the police, that you have done something wrong or illegal… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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