confess

Word family

Related topics: Crime & law, Christianity

con·fess /kənˈfes/ verb [intransitiveI, transitiveT]

1 SCADMITto admit, especially to the police, that you have done something wrong or illegal 〔尤指向警方〕坦白，招认，招供 → confession

confess to (doing) something

Edwards confessed to being a spy for the KGB.

爱德华兹承认自己是克格勃间谍。

Occasionally people confess to crimes they haven’t committed just to get attention.

偶尔人们会承认自己并未犯过的罪行，那只是为了引人注意。

confess (that)

My husband confessed he’d been having an affair with a woman in his office.

我丈夫承认他和办公室里的一个女人有暧昧关系。

Torture was used and Fian confessed.

酷刑用过之后菲安就招供了。

► see thesaurus at admit

2 ADMITto admit something that you feel embarrassed about 承认〔使自己尴尬的事情〕 → confession

confess (that)

Marsha confessed that she didn’t really know how to work the computer.

玛莎承认自己其实并不会使用计算机。

confess to (doing) something

He confessed to having a secret admiration for his opponent.

他承认私底下很钦佩他的对手。

I (have to/must) confess (=used when admitting something you feel slightly embarrassed about) 我（必须）承认〔用于承认自己略感尴尬的事〕

I must confess I don’t visit my parents as often as I should.

我必须承认我没有尽责经常去看望父母。

In everyday English, people usually say admit rather than confess: 在日常英语中，人们一般说admit，而不说confess

I know it was him – he admitted it.

我知道是他——他承认了。

I admit I’m not very good with money.

我承认我不善理财。

3 RRCADMITto tell a priest or God about the wrong things you have done so that you can be forgiven 〔向神父或上帝〕忏悔，告解 → confession

He knelt and confessed his sin.

他跪下来为自己的罪过忏悔。

Examples from the Corpus

confess• After two days of questioning, he finally confessed.• Woods was released from jail after the real murderers confessed.• Inducements were offered to the debtor to confess his insolvency and be frank in his discussion of assets.• However, I must confess that I do not find this to be a serious problem at least, not yet.• She confessed that she had killed her husband.• It isn't something you want to confess to another man.• When I confessed to Ellie she said she understood.• I have confessed to my elders as they have wished.• McCarthy confessed to the crime shortly after his arrest.• Crivello shuns salsa in a jar, but Wolhandler confesses to using it at home occasionally for a quick quesadilla.

confess (that)• By Vanessa Feltz I do it, I confess.• Like conscientious believers everywhere they confess a wide range of sins of omission and commission.• Aburto confessed and was convicted of killing Colosio.• I should have confessed everything, as I do now, and appealed to your great generosity of spirit.• Mr Dawkins, the prison chaplain, did his best to persuade Linkworth to confess his crime.• I confess I did not see the sting in the tail coming.• I have confessed to my elders as they have wished.• I confess to remembering nothing and no one better than Kip, my parents and sister Bonnie Jean included.

I (have to/must) confess• By Vanessa Feltz I do it, I confess.• I am rather shaken, I have to confess.• Oh, all right, I confess.• I will not go to Kent until I hear from you. I confess I am reluctant to go.• Good morning, Watson! I must confess I felt a trifle guilty about your lonely watch: nothing to report?• That, I must confess, is the bit I don't understand.• He asked me if I knew anything about ley lines and I confessed my ignorance.• As one of the few females sitting in the audience that day, I confess that I lived up to the stereotype.

confessed ... sin• Then, naked and holding three scourges in his hands, he confessed his sins.• Immediately following mass, she confessed her sins and was baptized by the bishop.

Origin confess