confess

Universal Words verb 1 ~ (to sth / to doing sth) to admit, especially formally or to the police, that you have done sth wrong or illegal: [V] She confessed to the murder. * After hours of questioning, the suspect confessed. * [V(that)] He confessed that he had stolen the money. * [VN] We persuaded her to confess her crime. 2 ~ (to sth / to doing sth) to admit sth that you feel ashamed or embarrassed about: [VN] She was reluctant to confess her ignorance. * [V] I must confess to knowing nothing about computers. * [VN-ADJ] (formal) I confess myself bewildered by their explanation. [also V(that), Vspeech] seealsoSELF-CONFESSED 3 [V, VN] ~ (sth) (to sb) (especially in the Roman Catholic Church) to tell God or a priest about the bad things you have done so that you can say that you are sorry and be forgiven 4 [VN] (of a priest) to hear sb confess their SINS (= the bad things they have done)