confessed; confessing; confesses
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
Sir Walter Scott1
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
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
The Jinx’s finale in 2015 included one of the most infamous bombshell revelations in true crime: When Durst seemingly confessed to murder.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Gloria Lofton’s death at her Texas home in 2019 had been a mystery — until a murder suspect allegedly confessed to her killing and others last year.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The sheriff’s office told CNN investigators were tipped off in February 2022 by an inmate in their jail, who told them Williams had confessed to him.
—Mallika Kallingal, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
According to Drexler, the employee confessed his actions via email after the painting was discovered.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
During an interview with detectives, McQueen confessed to the Bank of the Ozarks robbery.
—Daniel McFadin, arkansasonline.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Flowers said that eventually Williams' ex-wife and a friend of his sister — who did not know each other — each came forward to say that Williams had confessed to the crime.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Somewhere in the middle of the sermon, Ortiz-Vite went to the bathroom, called 911 and confessed.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
An air of unfinished business does continue to linger between Molly and Arthur (Nat Faxon), her employee at The Wells Foundation, who remain afraid to confess their feelings for one another.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Gloria Lofton’s death at her Texas home in 2019 had been a mystery — until a murder suspect allegedly confessed to her killing and others last year.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The sheriff’s office told CNN investigators were tipped off in February 2022 by an inmate in their jail, who told them Williams had confessed to him.
—Mallika Kallingal, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
According to Drexler, the employee confessed his actions via email after the painting was discovered.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024
During an interview with detectives, McQueen confessed to the Bank of the Ozarks robbery.
—Daniel McFadin, arkansasonline.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Flowers said that eventually Williams' ex-wife and a friend of his sister — who did not know each other — each came forward to say that Williams had confessed to the crime.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
Somewhere in the middle of the sermon, Ortiz-Vite went to the bathroom, called 911 and confessed.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
An air of unfinished business does continue to linger between Molly and Arthur (Nat Faxon), her employee at The Wells Foundation, who remain afraid to confess their feelings for one another.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near confess
Cite this Entry
“Confess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confess. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
confess
verb
con·fess
kən-ˈfes 
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
: to admit (as a charge or allegation) as true, proven, or valid
unless you answer, the petition shall be taken as confessed
: to make a confession
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