confession
n. countablen. a statement where you admit that you did something wrong, illegal, or embarrassing. It can be a private talk with a friend or a formal document for the police.
n. a formal or informal admission of guilt, wrongdoing, or a private secret. In legal contexts, it refers specifically to a suspect's oral or written acknowledgment of having committed a crime.
He made a full confession to the police this morning.
After hours of questioning, the suspect signed a written confession admitting to the robbery.
The defense attorney argued that the confession was inadmissible because it had been obtained through psychological coercion rather than a voluntary statement of facts.
From Middle English confessioun, from Old French confession, from Latin cōnfessiō, cōnfessiōnem (“confession, acknowledgment, creed or avowal of one's faith”). Displaced native Old English andetnes. Doublet of confessio. Morphologically confess + -ion. Sense 6 is a calque of 告白 (kokuhaku).
Often used with the verbs 'make', 'sign', or 'extract'. Takes the preposition 'to' when specifying the crime or 'of' when specifying the sin or secret.
He made a confession about he stole the carHe made a confession that he stole the carWhen followed by a clause, use 'that' rather than 'about' to introduce the admission.