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| con·fess [ kən féss ] (past and past participle con·fessed, present participle con·fess·ing, 3rd person present singular con·fess·es) |
verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb admit having done something wrong: to admit a wrongdoing, crime, or error openly
  She confessed to having taken the watch.
interrupted to confess that I had left the door unlocked
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2. transitive verb acknowledge something to be true: to admit the truth of something reluctantly
I must confess I didn't really want to come here tonight.
asked me about ley lines but I had to confess my ignorance
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3. transitive and intransitive verb christianity admit sins: to reveal sins to a priest or to God and ask for forgiveness
It had been some months since I had confessed.
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4. transitive verb christianity hear somebody's confession: to listen to a confession of sins by somebody
A priest visited her to confess her every day.
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5. transitive verb acknowledge faith in something: to declare faith or belief in something or somebody
(
archaic
)
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| [14th century. Via French confesser< Latin confess-, past participle of confiteri "acknowledge," literally "declare utterly" < fateri "declare"] |
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| con·fess·a·ble adjective |
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