confess

English

Etymology

From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Medieval Latin confessāre, a derivative of Middle English confessus (Old French confes), past participle of confitērī "to confess, admit" from con- + fatērī (“to admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten "to confess, admit" (from Old English andettan).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kənˈfɛs/, X-SAMPA: /k@n"fEs/

• 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
2. To disclose or reveal

   People confess to anything under torture.

Derived terms

• confession
• confessional
• confessor

Translations

to admit to the truth

• Arabic: اعترف (ar) (i3tarafa)
• Bulgarian: признавам (bg) (priznavam)
• Chinese: trad. 承認, simpl. 承认 (pinyin: chéngrèn), trad. 懺悔, simpl. 忏悔 (pinyin: chànhuǐ), trad. 供認, simpl. 供认 (pinyin: gòngrèn), trad. 招認, simpl. 招认 (pinyin: zhāorèn), 坦白 (cmn) (tǎnbái), 招供 (cmn) (zhāogòng)
• Danish: bekende (da), tilstå (da)
• Dutch: bekennen (nl)
• Finnish: tunnustaa (fi)
• French: avouer (fr), confesser (fr)
• German: gestehen (de), beichten (de), bekennen (de)
• Greek: ομολογώ (el) (omologó)
• Hebrew: התוודה (he) (hitvadá)

• Hiligaynon: tuad
• 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)
• Maori: whāki (mi), whāki (mi)
• Polish: przyznawać się (pl) impf., przyznać się (pl) pf.
• Portuguese: confessar (pt)
• Romanian: mărturisi (ro), spovedi (ro)
• Russian: сознаться (ru) (soznát'sja), признаться (ru) (priznát'sja), покаяться (ru) (pokájat'sja), признать (ru) (priznát')
• Scottish Gaelic: aidich (gd)
• Tagalog: amin (tl) (aminin (tl)), kumpisal (tl) (magkumpisal (tl)) (to a Catholic priest)
• Turkish: itiraf etmek (tr)

to disclose or reveal

• Bulgarian: признавам (bg) (priznavam), изповядвам (bg) (izpovjadvam)
• Danish: indrømme (da), tilstå (da)
• Finnish: tunnustaa (fi), ilmiantaa (fi)
• Hiligaynon: tuad
• Japanese: 告白する (ja) (kokuhaku-suru)

• Maori: whāki (mi)
• Portuguese: confessar (pt)
• Russian: сознаться (ru) (soznát'sja), признаться (ru) (priznát'sja)
• Scottish Gaelic: aidich (gd)
• Tagalog: amin (tl) (aminin (tl))

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Turkish: itiraf etmek

See also

• own up
• come clean