confess

English

Etymology

From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Medieval Latin confessō (“I confess”), a derivative of 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).

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)

2. 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, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (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 9”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, 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.

3. 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.

4. (religion) To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.
   • 1710 September 18, Joseph Addison; Richard Steele, “THURSDAY, September 7, 1710 [Julian calendar]”, 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.

5. (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^[1]:

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

7. 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

• fess, fess up

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 (zh), 承认 (zh) (chéngrèn), 懺悔 (zh), 忏悔 (zh) (chànhuǐ), 供認 (zh), 供认 (zh) (gòngrèn), 招認 (zh), 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)

• 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: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: fateor, confiteor
• Maori: whāki
• Mongolian: улайх (mn) (ulaikh), үнэнээ хэлэх (ünenee khelekh)
• 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: gyón
• Icelandic: skrifta
• Norwegian: skrifte
• Polish: spowiadać się (pl)
• Russian: испове́доваться (ru) impf (ispovédovatʹsja), испове́даться (ru) pf (ispovédatʹsja)
• Swedish: bikta (sv)

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)

• 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

• 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