confess

confess

English

Etymology

From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of cōnfiteor (“I confess, I admit”) from con- + fateor (“I admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten (“to confess, admit”) (from Old English andettan). Doublet of confiteor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈfɛs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛs

Verb

confess (third-person singular simple present confesses, present participle confessing, simple past and past participle confessed)

1. To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.

   I confess to spray-painting all over that mural!

   I confess that I am a sinner.

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene ii]:

     I never gave it him. Send for him hither, / And let him confess a truth.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     And there confess / Humbly our faults, and pardon beg.

   • 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 1051505315:

     I must confess I was most pleased with a beautiful prospect that none of them have mentioned.

2. To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Matthew 10:32:

     Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess, also, before my Father which is in heaven.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Acts 23:8:

     For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

3. (religion) To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.
   • 1710 September 18 (Gregorian calendar)​, Joseph Addison; Richard Steele [et al.], “THURSDAY, September 7, 1710”, in The Spectator, number 1647; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697:

     Our beautiful votary took an opportunity of confessing herself to this celebrated father.

4. (religion) 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.

   • 1867, W. K. Kelly, The Decameron: or ten day's entertainment of Boccaccio. A revised translation‎:

     A jealous man confesses his wife under a priest's habit, who tells him that she is visited every night by a friar; […]

5. To disclose or reveal.
   • 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “Book VII”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume II, London: […] Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646:

     Tall thriving trees confess;d the fruitful mould.

Derived terms

• a fault confessed is half redressed
• confessing Sam
• fess, fess up
• self-confessed
• stand confessed

 

Related terms

• confession
• confessional
• confessor

Translations

to admit to the truth

Arabic: اِعْتَرَفَ‎ (ar) (iʿtarafa) Egyptian Arabic: قر‎ (ʾarr) Armenian: խոստովանել (hy) (xostovanel) Bulgarian: признавам (bg) (priznavam) Catalan: confessar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 承認／承认 (zh) (chéngrèn), 懺悔／忏悔 (zh) (chànhuǐ), 供認／供认 (zh) (gòngrèn), 招認／招认 (zh) (zhāorèn), 坦白 (zh) (tǎnbái), 招供 (zh) (zhāogòng) Danish: bekende, tilstå Dutch: bekennen (nl) Esperanto: allasi, konfesi (eo) Finnish: tunnustaa (fi) French: avouer (fr), confesser (fr) Galician: confesar Georgian: გამოტყდომა (gamoṭq̇doma) German: gestehen (de), bekennen (de), verraten (de) Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (andhaitan) Greek: εξομολογώ (el) (exomologó), ομολογώ (el) (omologó) Ancient: ὁμολογέω (homologéō) Hebrew: התוודה‎ (hitvadá) Hiligaynon: tuad Hungarian: bevall (hu), kivall, megvall (hu), vall (hu), beismer (hu) Irish: admhaigh Italian: confessare (it) Japanese: 認める (ja) (みとめる, mitomeru), 自白する (ja) (jihaku suru), 告白する (ja) (kokuhaku suru), 告解する (ja) (kokkai suru) Khmer: សារភាព (km) (saaphiəp) Korean: please add this translation if you can Latin: fateor, confiteor Maltese: qarr Maori: whāki Mongolian: улайх (mn) (ulajx), үнэнээ хэлэх (ünenee xelex) Norwegian: tilstå (no) Old English: andettan Polish: przyznawać się (pl) impf, przyznać się (pl) pf Portuguese: confessar (pt) Romanian: mărturisi (ro), spovedi (ro) Russian: созна́ться (ru) (soznátʹsja), призна́ться (ru) (priznátʹsja), пока́яться (ru) (pokájatʹsja), призна́ть (ru) (priznátʹ) Scottish Gaelic: aidich Spanish: confesar (es) Swedish: erkänna (sv), tillstå (sv) Tagalog: amin (tl) (aminin), kumpisal (tl) (magkumpisal) (to a Catholic priest), mangumpisal Thai: please add this translation if you can Turkish: itiraf etmek (tr) Vietnamese: thú nhận (vi) (首認)

to disclose everything to a Catholic priest

Bulgarian: изповядвам се (izpovjadvam se) Chinese: Mandarin: 告解 (zh) (gàojiě) Czech: zpovídat se Danish: skrifte Dutch: biechten (nl) Esperanto: konfesi (eo) Galician: confesar German: beichten (de) Hungarian: gyónik (hu) Icelandic: skrifta Maltese: qarr Norwegian: skrifte Polish: spowiadać się (pl) Russian: испове́доваться (ru) impf (ispovédovatʹsja), испове́даться (ru) pf (ispovédatʹsja) Swedish: bikta (sv) Turkish: günah çıkarmak (tr)

to acknowledge faith in

Bulgarian: изповядвам (izpovjadvam) Chinese: Mandarin: 宣信 (xuānxìn) Dutch: belijden (nl) Finnish: tunnustaa (fi) French: confesser (fr) Greek: ομολογώ (el) (omologó) Ancient: ὁμολογέω (homologéō) Hungarian: elismer (hu) Irish: admhaigh Spanish: please add this translation if you can

to disclose or reveal

Bulgarian: признавам (bg) (priznavam), изповядвам (izpovjadvam) Chinese: Mandarin: 披露 (zh) (pīlù), 透露 (zh) (tòulù) Danish: indrømme, tilstå Esperanto: konfesi (eo) Finnish: tunnustaa (fi), ilmiantaa (fi) Greek: ομολογώ (el) (omologó), παραδέχομαι (el) (paradéchomai) Hiligaynon: tuad Hungarian: vall (hu) Irish: admhaigh Japanese: 告白する (ja) (kokuhaku suru) Maori: whāki Portuguese: confessar (pt) Russian: созна́ться (ru) (soznátʹsja), призна́ться (ru) (priznátʹsja) Scottish Gaelic: aidich Spanish: please add this translation if you can Tagalog: amin (tl) (aminin)

See also

• own up
• come clean