confession

/kənˈfɛʃən/

/kənˈfɛʃɪn/

Other forms: confessions

A confession is an admission of guilt, fault, or a mistake.

You’ve probably seen TV shows or movies where a detective says to a suspect "Confess!" The detective is trying to get a confession, which is a statement that admits some type of guilt. "I killed the mayor!" is a confession. "I forgot your birthday" is a confession. In some religions, confession is a sacrament where people admit their sins and seek forgiveness. When people have something painful to admit, they often start by saying, "I have a confession to make."

Definitions of confession

1. noun

   an admission of misdeeds or faults
   types:

   self-accusation, self-condemnation

   an admission that you have failed to do or be something you know you should do or be

   type of:

   admission

   an acknowledgment of the truth of something
2. noun

   a written document acknowledging an offense and signed by the guilty party
   type of:

   document, papers, written document

   writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
3. noun

   (Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent disclosing his sinfulness before a priest in the sacrament of penance in the hope of absolution
   types:

   shrift

   the act of being shriven

   type of:

   penance

   a Catholic sacrament; repentance and confession and atonement and absolution
4. noun

   a public declaration of your faith
   type of:

   declaration

   a statement that is emphatic and explicit (spoken or written)
5. noun

   the document that spells out the belief system of a given church (especially the Reformation churches of the 16th century)
   examples:

   Augsburg Confession

   the document drawn up in 1555 to defend the catholicity of Lutheran doctrine and to justify innovations in Lutheran practice; is still in effect today

   type of:

   church doctrine, creed, gospel, religious doctrine

   the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group