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
The victim’s grandson, 17-year-old Jadynn Hamilton, was arrested and charged in connection with her death that evening after allegedly confessing to the crime, per the outlets.
—
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Nickerson was immediately terminated after confessing to the behavior, McKinzie wrote in an email to the congregation at the time.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 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
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Nickerson was immediately terminated after confessing to the behavior, McKinzie wrote in an email to the congregation at the time.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 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
-
Making room for levity is, then, a way of admitting the human—not through the granular and intimate detail that lends Ferrante’s novels their power but through a broader concession to nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
-
State officials agreed to pay $85,000 to the plaintiffs in that case without admitting wrongdoing, though the state law that previously banned gender identity discrimination is no longer in effect.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But many voters seemed to appreciate Mamdani’s acknowledging the challenges of living there, plus his upbeat, accessible timbre of the campaign.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Ty Gee concluded his message by acknowledging the doctors in Las Vegas who worked tirelessly to save his father and by confirming the legitimacy of the family’s GoFundMe page, which will now help with burial expenses.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confessing. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share