/ kənˈfes; NAmE / verb
1.
confess (to sth / to doing sth) to admit, especially formally or to the police, that you have done sth wrong or illegal :
[ v ]
She confessed to the murder.
After hours of questioning, the suspect confessed.
[ v ( that )]
He confessed that he had stolen the money.
[ vn ]
We persuaded her to confess her crime.
2.
confess (to sth / to doing sth) to admit sth that you feel ashamed or embarrassed about :
[ vn ]
She was reluctant to confess her ignorance.
[ v ]
I must confess to knowing nothing about computers.
[ vn - adj ] ( formal )
I confess myself bewildered by their explanation.
[also v ( that ), v speech ]
—see also self-confessed ➡ note at admit
3.
[ v , vn ] confess (sth) (to sb) ( especially in the Roman Catholic Church ) to tell God or a priest about the bad things you have done so that you can say that you are sorry and be forgiven
4.
[ vn ] ( of a priest ) to hear sb confess their sins (= the bad things they have done)
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French confesser , from Latin confessus , past participle of confiteri acknowledge, from con- (expressing intensive force) + fateri declare, avow.