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 of confession

• admission

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 major evidence for the former is a letter written by one of Marlowe’s enemies, along with a confession by the playwright Thomas Kyd that was made under torture. —Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025

The latter film was made based on the confessions of young people living in Latvia who openly spoke of patronizing teachers and parents, worries for the future and fears over fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. —Will Tizard, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025

Dassey’s conviction was overturned in August 2016, and a judge agreed in a June 2017 panel that his confession had been illegally obtained and that he should be released or retried within 90 days unless the case was further appealed. —Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025

The confession, though not yet corroborated by evidence, was the first direct admission ever linked to the case and effectively prompted the Army to revisit the long-cold investigation. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 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.