confess
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confess
- /kənˈfɛs/
Rhymes with -ɛs
Where it comes from
From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of cōnfiteor (“to confess, admit”) from con- + fateor (“to admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten (“to confess, admit”) (from Old English andettan). Doublet of confiteor.
Sense 6 is a semantic loan from Japanese 告(こく)白(はく) (kokuhaku).
verb confesses · confessing · confessed
- To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed. I confess to spray-painting all over that mural!
- To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in. Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess, also, before my Father which is in heaven.
- To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution. If we confesse our sinnes, hee is faithfull, & iust to forgiue vs our sinnes, and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnesse.
- To hear or receive such a confession of sins from. 1523–1525, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (translator), Froissart's Chronicles He […] heard mass, and the prince, his son, with him, and the most part of his company were confessed.
- To disclose or reveal. Tall thriving trees confess;d the fruitful mould.
- To profess one's love.
Similar: acknowledge, admit, assent, avow, beknow, come clean, concede, confess, fess, fess up, front up, make a clean breast, own, own up, shrive, sing, spill one's guts, spill the beans, step forward, talk, tell all, unbosom · Opposite: abjure, deny, disavow, disclaim, disown, reject
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: shrive, concede, profess, squeal, confession, self-confessed, commit, acknowledged, acknowledge, avow, avowed, admit, accept, solicitor, plead, testify
verb
Similar: acknowledge, admit, assent, avow, beknow, come clean, concede, confess, fess, fess up, front up, make a clean breast, own, own up, shrive, sing, spill one's guts, spill the beans, step forward, talk, tell all, unbosom · Opposite: abjure, deny, disavow, disclaim, disown, reject
Translations
Every language
verb to admit to the truth
| Español | confesar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 認める mitomeru, 自白する jihaku suru, 告白する kokuhaku suru, 告解する kokkai suru |
| 中文 | 承認 /承认 chéngrèn, 懺悔 /忏悔 chànhuǐ, 供認 /供认 gòngrèn, 招認 /招认 zhāorèn, 坦白 tǎnbái, 招供 zhāogòng |
| Português | confessar |
| Français | avouer, confesser |
| Deutsch | gestehen, bekennen, verraten |
| Italiano | confessare |
| Ελληνικά | εξομολογώ exomologó, ομολογώ omologó |
| Română | mărturisi, spovedi |
| Русский | созна́ться soznátʹsja, призна́ться priznátʹsja, пока́яться pokájatʹsja, призна́ть priznátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | thú nhận |
| العربية | اِعْتَرَفَ iʕtarafa, أَقَرَّ ʔaqarra |
| עברית | התוודה hitvadá |
verb to hear or receive a confession of sins from
| Ελληνικά | εξομολογώ exomologó |
|---|
verb to disclose everything to a Catholic priest
| 한국어 | 고해 gohae |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 告解 kokkai |
| 中文 | 告解 gàojiě |
| Deutsch | beichten |
| Русский | испове́доваться ispovédovatʹsja, испове́даться ispovédatʹsja |
verb to disclose or reveal
| 日本語 | 告白する kokuhaku suru |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 披露 pīlù, 透露 tòulù |
| Português | confessar |
| Ελληνικά | ομολογώ omologó, παραδέχομαι paradéchomai |
| Русский | созна́ться soznátʹsja, призна́ться priznátʹsja |
Talk about this word "confess." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/confess. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. confess. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/confess "confess." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/confess.Cite this
@misc{confess_2026,
title = {confess},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/confess},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
