confession

noun

con·​fes·​sion kən-ˈfe-shən 

1

a

: an act of confessing

especially : a disclosure of one's sins in the sacrament of reconciliation

b

: a session for the confessing of sins

go to confession

2

: a statement of what is confessed: such as

a

: a written or oral acknowledgment of guilt by a party accused of an offense

b

: a formal statement of religious beliefs : creed

the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran Church

3

: an organized religious body having a common creed

Synonyms

• admission
• acknowledgement

Examples of confession in a Sentence

She went to the police station and made a full confession.

I have a confession to make: I have never done this before.

The priest will hear confessions after mass today.

I haven't gone to confession in three years.

Recent Examples on the Web

The feed surfaces chats containing legal dilemmas, therapy discussions, and deeply personal confessions, often linked to real accounts. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025

What’s her initial reaction to his big confession there? —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 28 June 2025

There have been reports of human rights violations, including torture and forced confessions at the facility. —Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 24 June 2025

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against a new law that demands priests report child abuse revealed during private confession. —Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confessioun, borrowed from Anglo-French confession, borrowed from Latin confessiōn-, confessiō, from confiteor, confitērī "to admit (a fact, the truth of a statement or charge)" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at confess

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing confession

• self-confession

Rhymes for confession

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression
• possession

Kids Definition

confession

noun

con·​fes·​sion kən-ˈfesh-ən 

1

a

: an act of confessing

especially : a telling of one's sins to a priest

b

: a meeting for the confessing of sins

go to confession

2

: a statement admitting guilt

the thief signed a confession

3

: a formal statement of religious beliefs : creed

Legal Definition

confession

noun

con·​fes·​sion

1

: an act of confessing

2

: an acknowledgment of a fact or allegation as true or proven

especially : a written or oral statement by an accused party acknowledging the party's guilt (as by admitting commission of a crime) compare admission, declaration against interest at declaration, self-incrimination

Note: Courts differ on how a confession establishes the accused's guilt; for example, in some jurisdictions the confession has to establish all the necessary elements of the crime. In order to be admissible as evidence, a confession must be voluntary. A guilty plea is considered a judicial confession.