# confession

/kənˈfɛʃən/ (US) · /kənfˈɛʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/confession
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. admitting a fault

noun · CEFR B2

the act of telling the truth about something bad or secret you did.

For teachers: the voluntary admission of a fault, crime, or secret. Often used with the verb 'make'.

- After hours of questioning, he finally made a full confession to the police.
- The suspect's confession was eventually thrown out of court because the defense proved it had been obtained under extreme duress.

### 2. religious ritual

noun · CEFR B2

telling your sins to a priest in order to be forgiven.

For teachers: the ritual disclosure of sins to a priest for the purpose of receiving absolution.

- He went to confession every Saturday to seek peace of mind.
- In many Christian traditions, the seal of confession prohibits a priest from revealing anything discussed during the sacrament.

### 3. statement of faith

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a formal statement of what a person or a group believes.

For teachers: a formal statement of religious doctrine or a profession of faith.

- The church members stood to recite their confession of faith together.
- The Augsburg Confession remains one of the most significant documents of the Protestant Reformation, outlining the primary theological tenets of the movement.

### 4. declaring love

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

telling someone that you have romantic feelings for them.

For teachers: the act of professing romantic feelings or love to another person.

- She was nervous before her confession of love, but he felt the same way.
- The protagonist's sudden confession of love at the end of the film provided the emotional resolution the audience had been expecting.

## Examples

- 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 EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.