Definition of confession
1a : an act of confessing; especially : a disclosure of one's sins in the sacrament of reconciliationb : a session for the confessing of sins go to confession
2 : a statement of what is confessed: such asa : a written or oral acknowledgment of guilt by a party accused of an offenseb : a formal statement of religious beliefs : creed the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran Church
3 : an organized religious body having a common creed
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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
-
Questions abound In child homicide cases — where confessions and witnesses are rare — prosecutors usually can’t tell jurors how a fatal injury was even inflicted, Smith said.
-
That confession came Tuesday, when the Eagles defensive coordinator was asked about Fletcher Cox's decision to spend last week with his family instead of on the practice fields at the NovaCare Complex.
-
Amor later confessed, but said the confession was made under duress from relentless questioning and manipulative tactics by police.
-
Many details of Khweis’ case emerged in a pretrial hearing in which his defense lawyers sought unsuccessfully to have his confession tossed out of court.
-
Many details of Khweis’ case emerged in a pretrial hearing in which his defense lawyers sought unsuccessfully to have his confession tossed out of court.
-
Burge and the detectives under his command had used electric shock, suffocation and even Russian roulette to coerce confessions from dozens of black suspects, special Cook County prosecutors concluded after a four-year investigation.
-
Butz says Kevin's confessions are both a natural consequence of someone being caught up in that situation and evidence of how Kevin doesn't have a criminal's mentality.
-
Busy Catholics can now do their confession on a British Web site.
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
CONFESSION Defined for English Language Learners
confession
playDefinition 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
playDefinition 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
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
Additional Notes on confession
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.
Learn More about confession
-
See words that rhyme with confession Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for confession Spanish Central: Translation of confession Nglish: Translation of confession for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of confession for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about confession
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up confession? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!