1
as in admitting
to make an acknowledgment of something unpleasant as true or valid
the thief confessed to dozens of robberies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in acknowledging
to accept the truth or existence of (something) usually reluctantly
political prisoners, under threat of torture, forced to confess their guilt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confessing
There's been lingering romantic tension between Crudup's UBA exec Cory Ellison and Witherspoon's anchor Bradley Jackson since early on in the Apple TV+ series, and despite Cory confessing his love for Bradley in season 2, things haven't quite worked out for them — yet.
—
Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that tens of millions of people are confessing secrets to AI chatbots trained on religious texts, with apps like Bible Chat reaching over 30 million downloads and Catholic app Hallow briefly topping Netflix, Instagram, and TikTok in Apple's App Store.
—Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
The second season of the Netflix hit ended on a cliffhanger with Jackie finally confessing her feelings to Cole, but Alex hearing the confession.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
In the season 7 premiere, it was revealed that Natalie was fired after confessing to stealing medication for her ailing mother.
—EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Hansen initially denied the murders before eventually confessing to the attacks.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that tens of millions of people are confessing secrets to AI chatbots trained on religious texts, with apps like Bible Chat reaching over 30 million downloads and Catholic app Hallow briefly topping Netflix, Instagram, and TikTok in Apple's App Store.
—Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 16 Sep. 2025
The second season of the Netflix hit ended on a cliffhanger with Jackie finally confessing her feelings to Cole, but Alex hearing the confession.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
In the season 7 premiere, it was revealed that Natalie was fired after confessing to stealing medication for her ailing mother.
—EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Hansen initially denied the murders before eventually confessing to the attacks.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confessing
Verb
-
The case was settled without Tinder admitting fault.—
Eric Andersson,
People.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Under the terms of the new agreement — filed in July and approved by the Iowa State Board of Appeals on Tuesday, per the Register — the state will pay $85,000 to the plaintiffs to settle the case without admitting wrongdoing.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Acceptance involves acknowledging that there are no shortcuts to genuine understanding.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference Wednesday, Murdoch said that the settlement will enable the company to act strategically, acknowledging the uncertainty that clouded the company while the legal battle over the Murdoch Family Trust ensued.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confessing. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share