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
Brian Tyree Henry confessed to breaking his own cardinal rule of not returning to television in order to star in Apple TV+’s crime drama Dope Thief.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2025
Ninety percent of British women and nonbinary people polled in 2020 confessed to sometimes using filters before posting selfies, and 85 percent to using external editing software such as FaceTune to tweak pictures of themselves.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
In February 2023, the married star confessed to GQ that his residency was dedicated to his female fans.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Olivia Munn has a new understanding of criminals who get away with a crime only to confess decades later, following an incident involving husband John Mulaney and her best friend since childhood.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confess
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Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2025
Ninety percent of British women and nonbinary people polled in 2020 confessed to sometimes using filters before posting selfies, and 85 percent to using external editing software such as FaceTune to tweak pictures of themselves.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2025
In February 2023, the married star confessed to GQ that his residency was dedicated to his female fans.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Olivia Munn has a new understanding of criminals who get away with a crime only to confess decades later, following an incident involving husband John Mulaney and her best friend since childhood.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confess
Cite this Entry
“Confess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confess. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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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