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

• acknowledgment
• acknowledgement
• admission
• avowal
• concession
• self-confession

Example Sentences

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

Nassar informed his lawyer, F. Lee Bailey, of DeSalvo's confession. —Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 17 Mar. 2023

For instance, the erotic, bluesy song that Conley performs with a chain gang is actually a quasi-confession, simultaneously gorgeous and appalling, particularly as sung by the astonishing Grayson. —Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2023

The contents of Laundrie's drybag included a handwritten confession, published first by Fox News Digital over the summer. —Fox News, 7 Mar. 2023

There is no such thing as a coincidence in Southern Baptist confession of faith. —Deborah Netburn Los Angeles Times (tns), al, 1 Mar. 2023

For prosecutors, that lie underpins a case where investigators haven’t presented the weapons used to kill the victims, a confession, surveillance video or clothes covered in blood. —Jeffrey Collins, ajc, 24 Feb. 2023

Kessler reiterated that the jury will not hear evidence of a confession by Clements or any physical or forensic evidence connecting him to the crime scene during the trial. —Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2023

Maybe that explains the movie's failure to catch on with audiences: For all its crowd-pleasing elements, there's a discomforting ring of confession here, too. —A.a. Dowd, Chron, 4 Feb. 2023

For prosecutors, that lie underpins a case where investigators haven’t presented the weapons used to kill the victims, a confession, surveillance video or clothes covered in blood. —Jeffrey Collins, ajc, 24 Feb. 2023

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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

• self-confession

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.