confession

noun con·fes·sion \ kən-ˈfe-shən \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Examples: confession in a Sentence

Definition of confession

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

See confession defined for English-language learners

See confession defined for kids

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 of confession from the Web

WorkCamp participants attend morning Mass, go to confession and listen to nightly presentations about Catholicism and how to serve their neighbors.

— hannah natanson, Washington Post, "Toting power saws and peanut butter sandwiches, teens rehab run-down homes," 29 June 2018
Subsequent to the confession, crime lab technicians found White's DNA on clothing found at the crime scene that Rivera had been wearing before she was killed.

— david owens, courant.com, "Hartford Man Convicted Of Killing Two Women Pleads Guilty To Killing Two More," 22 June 2018
Even though Williams was taken off death row, the courts upheld his conviction and refused to even consider that his intellectual disability as well as his age could have played a part in his faulty confession.

— monique judge, The Root, "Innocent Man Who Served 20 Years For a Crime He Didn't Commit Forced to Take Plea Deal In Exchange For His Freedom," 30 May 2018
Her confession sparked the indictment of seven other conspirators.

— win mccormack, The New Republic, "Bhagwan’s Sexism," 12 Apr. 2018
Parts of the confession are legally exempt from release until they are disclosed in open court, but defense lawyers say none of it should be made public.

— rafael olmeda, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Should public get to see school district report on Nikolas Cruz? Broward judge to decide," 11 July 2018
This fortunately wasn’t a Jean Blanc situation and Becca seemed to be touched by Wills’ confession.

— nick schwartz, For The Win, "Bachelorette Power Rankings: Becca finally realizes that Chris is the worst," 3 July 2018
Wilson did not use the seal of the confession as an excuse for failing to acting on allegations against Fletcher.

— rod mcguirk, chicagotribune.com, "Australian bishop sentenced to year's detention for cover-up," 2 July 2018
Wilson did not use the seal of the confession as an excuse for failing to acting on allegations against Fletcher.

— rod mcguirk, USA TODAY, "Australian bishop sentenced to year’s detention for child sex abuse cover-up," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confession.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of confession

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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confession Synonyms

CONFESSION Defined for English Language Learners

confession

noun

Definition of confession for English Language Learners

: a written or spoken statement in which you say that you have done something wrong or committed a crime
: the act of telling people something that makes you embarrassed, ashamed, etc.
: the act of telling your sins to God or to a priest

CONFESSION Defined for Kids

confession

noun con·fes·sion \ kən-ˈfe-shən \

Definition of confession for Students

1 : an act of telling of sins or wrong, illegal, or embarrassing acts

2 : a written or spoken admission of guilt of a crime

Law Dictionary

confession

noun con·fes·sion

legal Definition of confession

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.