Confession definition

kən-fĕshən
confessions
See word origin
Frequency:
An avowal of belief in the doctrines of a particular faith; a creed.
noun
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Something confessed.
noun
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The act of confessing; acknowledgment.
  • An admission of guilt, esp. formally in writing, as by a person charged with a crime.
  • The confessing of sins to a priest in the sacrament of penance.
  • A general acknowledgment of sin, or a form expressing this used in public worship.
noun
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The tomb or shrine of a martyr or confessor.
noun
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A confession obtained in violation of the Miranda Rule.
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(Roman Catholicism) The disclosure of one's sins to a priest for absolution. Now termed the sacrament of reconciliation.

I went to confession and now I feel much better about what I had done.

noun
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Acknowledgment of belief; profession of one's faith.
noun
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A formula in which the articles of faith are comprised; a creed to be assented to or signed, as a preliminary to admission to membership of a church; a confession of faith.
noun
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An admission that one has committed a crime or any other incriminating statement made by a person.
noun
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The definition of a confession is something you admit to that you are embarrassed to admit, or that you do not often share or tell people.

When you go to church to see a priest and tell him about your sins, this is an example of a confession.

When you write out the details of a crime you committed for the police, this is an example of a confession.

When you share an embarrassing secret with a friend, this is an example of a confession.

noun
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In some Christian churches, the sacrament of Penance.
noun
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A church having such a confession: communion.
noun
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A confession induced by the police or other law enforcement officers’ use of threats or force.
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The act or process of confessing, as in telling one's life story as a series of failings or tribulations.
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Something confessed, especially a disclosure of one's sins to a priest for absolution.
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A statement made acknowledging guilt of an offense.
noun
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A church or group of worshipers adhering to a specific creed.
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A story of or as of one's life experiences, revealing faults and confidential personal details.
noun
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A statement of religious beliefs, esp. as held by a Christian church, usually longer than a creed.
noun
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A confession induced by the police or other law enforcement officers’ use of coercion, deceit, promises, or psychological pressure.
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A confession that is not involuntary. Also called an oral confession.
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The open admittance of having done something (especially of something bad).

Without the real murderer's confession, an innocent person will go to jail.

noun
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See voluntary confession.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
confession
Plural:
confessions

Origin of confession

  • From Old French, from Latin cōnfessiō (“confession, acknowledgment, creed or avowal of one's faith”).

    From Wiktionary

Confession Sentence Examples

  • The confession consisted of forty articles.

  • Startled by the confession, Jessi rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward.

  • His so-called deathbed confession is not genuine.

  • The Confession, written towards the end of his life, gives a general account of his career.

  • In the Greek Church confession has become obligatory and habitual.

More sentences

Related articles

Words near confession in the Dictionary