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

Following the alleged confession, investigators in Medina County began searching the Medina Lake area. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026

Prosecutor Nichols called David Wiley to the stand, who recounted Terry Rose's confession to him back in 1999. —Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026

Prior to Heuermann’s confessions, authorities had been unable to conclusively connect Vergata to the Gilgo Beach serial killer case. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026

The prosecution largely relied on the confessions, as DNA collected at the scene did not match any of the teens. —Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026

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.