Main Entry:

con·fess

Pronunciation:

\kən-ˈfes\

Function:

verb

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French confesser, from confés having confessed, from Latin confessus, past participle of confitēri to confess, from com- + fatēri to confess; akin to Latin fari to speak — more at ban

Date:

14th century

transitive verb1: to tell or make known (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 : profess4: to give evidence ofintransitive verb1 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 confession2: admit, own <confess to a crime>

synonyms see acknowledge

— con·fess·able \-ˈfe-sə-bəl\ adjective