Meaning of "confess" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD CONFESS

From Old French confesser, from Late Latin confessāre, from Latin confessus confessed, from confitērī to admit, from fatērī to acknowledge; related to Latin fārī to speak.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF CONFESS

confess  [kənˈfɛs]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CONFESS

Confess is a verb.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb confess in English.

WHAT DOES CONFESS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Confession

A confession is a statement made by a person or a group of people acknowledging some personal fact that the person would prefer to keep hidden. The term is generally associated with an admission of a moral or legal wrong. A legal confession is an admission of some wrongdoing that has legal consequence, while a confession in religion is usually more akin to a ritual by which the person acknowledges thoughts or actions considered sinful or morally wrong within the confines of the confessor's religion. Socially, however, the term may refer to admissions that are neither legally nor religiously significant.

Definition of confess in the English dictionary

The first definition of confess in the dictionary is when intr, often foll by to to make an acknowledgment or admission. Other definition of confess is to admit or grant to be true; concede. Confess is also to declare to God or to a priest as his representative, so as to obtain pardon and absolution.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO CONFESS

PRESENT

Present

I confess

you confess

he/she/it confesses

we confess

you confess

they confess

Present continuous

I am confessing

you are confessing

he/she/it is confessing

we are confessing

you are confessing

they are confessing

Present perfect

I have confessed

you have confessed

he/she/it has confessed

we have confessed

you have confessed

they have confessed

Present perfect continuous

I have been confessing

you have been confessing

he/she/it has been confessing

we have been confessing

you have been confessing

they have been confessing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I confessed

you confessed

he/she/it confessed

we confessed

you confessed

they confessed

Past continuous

I was confessing

you were confessing

he/she/it was confessing

we were confessing

you were confessing

they were confessing

Past perfect

I had confessed

you had confessed

he/she/it had confessed

we had confessed

you had confessed

they had confessed

Past perfect continuous

I had been confessing

you had been confessing

he/she/it had been confessing

we had been confessing

you had been confessing

they had been confessing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will confess

you will confess

he/she/it will confess

we will confess

you will confess

they will confess

Future continuous

I will be confessing

you will be confessing

he/she/it will be confessing

we will be confessing

you will be confessing

they will be confessing

Future perfect

I will have confessed

you will have confessed

he/she/it will have confessed

we will have confessed

you will have confessed

they will have confessed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been confessing

you will have been confessing

he/she/it will have been confessing

we will have been confessing

you will have been confessing

they will have been confessing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would confess

you would confess

he/she/it would confess

we would confess

you would confess

they would confess

Conditional continuous

I would be confessing

you would be confessing

he/she/it would be confessing

we would be confessing

you would be confessing

they would be confessing

Conditional perfect

I would have confess

you would have confess

he/she/it would have confess

we would have confess

you would have confess

they would have confess

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been confessing

you would have been confessing

he/she/it would have been confessing

we would have been confessing

you would have been confessing

they would have been confessing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you confess
we let´s confess
you confess

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to confess

Past participle

confessed

Present Participle

confessing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «CONFESS»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «confess» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of confess

acknowledge · admit · affirm · allow · assert · attest · aver · come clean · concede · confide · confirm · cough · declare · disclose · divulge · evince · grant · make a clean breast of · manifest · profess · prove · reveal · sing

TRANSLATION OF CONFESS

Find out the translation of confess to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of confess from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «confess» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 坦白
• Translator English - Spanish: confesar
• English: confess
• Translator English - Hindi: कबूल
• Translator English - Arabic: يَعْتَرِفُ
• Translator English - Russian: признавать
• Translator English - Portuguese: confessar
• Translator English - Bengali: স্বীকার করা
• Translator English - French: confesser
• Translator English - Malay: mengaku
• Translator English - German: gestehen
• Translator English - Japanese: 自白する
• Translator English - Korean: 고백하다
• Translator English - Javanese: Ngakeni
• Translator English - Vietnamese: thú nhận
• Translator English - Tamil: ஒப்புக்கொள்ள
• Translator English - Marathi: कबूल करणे
• Translator English - Turkish: itiraf etmek
• Translator English - Italian: confessare
• Translator English - Polish: przyznawać się
• Translator English - Ukrainian: зізнаватися
• Translator English - Romanian: a mărturisi
• Translator English - Greek: ομολογώ
• Translator English - Afrikaans: bely
• Translator English - Swedish: erkänna
• Translator English - Norwegian: tilstå

10 QUOTES WITH «CONFESS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word confess.

1

Jill Abramson

As someone who has spent a lot of her career as an investigative reporter, I'll confess that a frustration of mine has always been that so much investigative journalism involves a dissection of events in the past.

2

Isabel Allende

I confess that I am a messy, disorganized and impatient reader: if the book doesn't grab me in the first 40 pages, I abandon it. I have piles of half-read books waiting for me to get acute hepatitis or some other serious condition that would force me to rest so that I could read more.

3

Herb Alpert

I confess that I listen to my own music for my own pleasure.

4

Max Beerbohm

It is easier to confess a defect than to claim a quality.

5

Gerald Brenan

We confess our bad qualities to others out of fear of appearing naive or ridiculous by not being aware of them.

6

Fanny Brice

Affectation is a very good word when someone does not wish to confess to what he would none the less like to believe of himself.

7

William F. Buckley, Jr.

The majority of the senior class of Vassar does not desire my company and I must confess, having read specimens of their thought and sentiments, that I do not desire the company of the majority of the senior class of Vassar.

8

Fanny Burney

I am ashamed of confessing that I have nothing to confess.

9

Fanny Burney

For my part, I confess I seldom listen to the players: one has so much to do, in looking about and finding out one's acquaintance, that, really, one has no time to mind the stage. One merely comes to meet one's friends, and show that one's alive.

10

Jasper Carrott

I have to confess here that I am a useless cook.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «CONFESS»

Discover the use of confess in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to confess and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

I Confess: Revelations in Exile

This is a memoir by Sydney-based doctor and writer/translator, Kooshyar Karimi, who in 2000 managed to flee, with his family, certain torture and death which stalked him on a daily basis in his native Iran.

Kooshyar Karimi, 2012

We Confess!: The Civil War, the South, and the Church

He promises to cleanse us from bloodguilt not yet cleansed, as we say what we haven't dared say. As we confess, healing, life, oneness, witness and true worship flow. As we confess, our Lord is honored and his kingdom furthered.

Deborah Brunt, 2011

Every Tongue Got to Confess

Together, this collection of nearly 500 folktales weaves a vibrant tapestry that celebrates African American life in the rural South and represents a major part of Zora Neale Hurston's literary legacy.

Zora Neale Hurston, 2009

Confess, Fletch

That is when he’s not “entertaining” his future mother-in-law and visiting with the good Inspector Flynn and his family. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Gregory Mcdonald, 2010

Confess

Loosely based on the It's Just Lunch® dating service, Confess is the first in a series of tales revolving around the It's Just Sex no-strings fantasy fulfillment service.This story was first published in the print edition of Alessia's ...

Alessia Brio, 2009

I Confess: A Memoir of the Siege of Tobruk

I Confess is an intimate portrayal of command in the crucible of war. Major General John Joseph Murray fought in the AIF in both the First and Second World Wars.

John Joseph Murray, 2011

Today I Must Confess: The Gospel According to Religion & ...

'PRAYER OF THE CONQUERING ANGEL' THE-COVER-ALL BIG PITCURE IN LIFE (((POINTS DIRECTLY TO YOU.))) "LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION; BUT DELIVER US FROM 'BECOMING EVIL' AMEN'.

Dr. Sunday, 2012

When divas confess: master opera singers in their leading roles

Portraits of revered performers as characters from their favorite productions explore opera's recurring archetypes

Marcia Lieberman, Paul Griffiths, 1999

I Confess 3

A collection of confession short stories about relationships in the real world. Stories Include - "May 13th, Marriage Games, Fatal Mistake, The World of Paralegals, Believing in Forever," and many more...

Carol Ann Culbert Johnson, R.M. Hamilton, 2010

I Must Confess

Through this fabulous parody of the showbiz confession, Rupert Smith has created a witty and scathing satire of popular culture and entertainment over the last forty years.

Rupert Smith, 2013

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «CONFESS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term confess is used in the context of the following news items.

Teen boys confess to vandalizing Knoxville community club

KNOXVILLE (WATE) – Two teenage boys have come forward confessing to vandalizing a Knoxville community club. The president of the ... «WATE 6 On Your Side, Jul 15»

Syria Militants Confess to Receiving Training in Turkey

DAMASCUS (PressTV)—A number of foreign-backed Takfiri militants, who have been arrested by the Syrian army, have confessed that they ... «Asbarez Armenian News, Jul 15»

'General Hospital' Spoilers For July 9, 2015: Dante Decides To …

Dante decides that he will confess to Lulu. Check out the “General Hospital” spoilers for the episode that airs on July 9, 2015. Warning: This ... «International Business Times AU, Jul 15»

Truth Time: [WATCH] Whole Foods CEOs Confess To Overcharging …

Customers of Whole Foods Market recently lost their trust in the company just last week. The incident follows a New York City government ... «Food World News, Jul 15»

I CONFESS: Sweet days with my Bajan gals

I AM SPENDING six weeks' holiday in Barbados and, after reading your Dear Christine and I Confess columns, I felt that I should write to this ... «Nation News, Jul 15»

Pasuma: 'I love wristwatches and women' Fuji singer confess

The Ogede Ti Pon singer revealed that he has over 30 wristwatches in his kitty and can't be caught outside his house without having one on. «Pulse Nigeria, Jul 15»

Imran Farooq murder case: Suspects confess direct involvement

KARACHI: Two main suspects of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Imran Farooq murder case have confessed their direct ... «News Tribe, Jul 15»

MSU Denver Students Clearly Don't Have Enough to Confess

Why didn't it work? Maybe MSU Denver students just don't have as much to confess as their peers in Boulder. See what we mean by checking ... «Westword, Jul 15»

Man who called 911 to confess to killing his girlfriend ordered held …

The Broward Sheriff's Office on Wednesday released the name of the woman who was choked to death in a suburban Fort Lauderdale hotel ... «Sun Sentinel, Jul 15»

Global Warming Faithful Can Now Confess Their Sins Against Gaia

Did someone say that all the global warming, climate change alarmism is a religion? Why, yes we did. It's a sad reality that even Rajendra ... «Investor's Business Daily, Jul 15»