confess

verb

/kənˈfes/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they confess	/kənˈfes/ /kənˈfes/
he / she / it confesses	/kənˈfesɪz/ /kənˈfesɪz/
past simple confessed	/kənˈfest/ /kənˈfest/
past participle confessed	/kənˈfest/ /kənˈfest/
-ing form confessing	/kənˈfesɪŋ/ /kənˈfesɪŋ/

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[intransitive, transitive] to admit, especially formally or to the police, that you have done something wrong or illegal供认，坦白，承认（错误或罪行）
- After hours of questioning, the suspect confessed.经过数小时的审问后，嫌疑犯终于招供。
- confess to (doing) something She confessed to the murder.她供认犯了谋杀罪。
- confess (that)… He confessed that he had stolen the money.他承认他偷了那笔钱。
- confess to somebody (that)… She confessed to me that she had known his true identity for some time.她向我承认她知道他的真实身分已有一段时间了。
- confess your crime, error, etc. We persuaded her to confess her crime.我们说服她坦白她的罪行。
Topics Crime and punishmentb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- freely
- openly
- publicly
- …
verb + confess
- have to
- must
preposition
- to
See full entry
[intransitive, transitive] to admit something that you feel ashamed or embarrassed about承认（自己感到羞愧或尴尬的事）
- confess something She was reluctant to confess her ignorance.她不愿承认她的无知。
- confess to (doing) something I must confess to knowing nothing about golf.我必须承认我对高尔夫一无所知。
- confess (that)… I confess (that) I know nothing about golf.我承认我对高尔夫一无所知。
- + speech ‘I know nothing about it,’ he confessed.“我对此一无所知，”他坦白道。
confess yourself + adj.
- (formal) I confess myself bewildered by their explanation.我承认他们的解释使我感到困惑。
see also self-confessed
Synonyms admit
admit
- acknowledge
- recognize
- concede
- confess
These words all mean to agree, often unwillingly, that something is true.
- admit to agree, often unwillingly, that something is true:
  It was a stupid thing to do, I admit.我承认，那次干的是件蠢事。
- acknowledge (rather formal) to accept that something exists, is true or has happened:指承认某事物存在或属实：
  She refuses to acknowledge the need for reform.她拒不承认改革的必要性。
- recognize to admit or be aware that something exists or is true:
  They recognized the need to take the problem seriously.他们认识到需要严肃对待这个问题。
- concede (rather formal) to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true or logical:指承认（常指不情愿地承认某事属实或合乎逻辑）：
  He was forced to concede (that) there might be difficulties.他被迫承认可能有困难。
admit or concede?用 admit 还是 concede？When somebody admits something, they are usually agreeing that something that is generally considered bad or wrong is true or has happened, especially when it relates to their own actions. When somebody concedes something, they are usually accepting, unwillingly, that a particular fact or statement is true or logical.
- confess (rather formal) to admit something that you feel ashamed or embarrassed about; to admit, especially formally or to the police, that you have done something wrong or illegal:
  She was reluctant to confess her ignorance.她不愿意承认自己无知。
  He confessed to the murder.他对谋杀罪行供认不讳。
Patterns
- to admit/acknowledge/recognize/concede/confess that…
- to admit/confess to something
- to admit/concede/confess something to somebody
- to admit/acknowledge/recognize the truth
- to admit/confess your mistakes/ignorance
Extra Examples
- I must confess that I didn't have much faith in her ideas.我必须承认对她的想法我没有什么信心。
- I must confess to knowing nothing about computers.我得承认对电脑一窍不通。
Topics Feelingsb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- freely
- openly
- publicly
- …
verb + confess
- have to
- must
preposition
- to
See full entry
[intransitive, transitive] confess (something) (to somebody) (especially in the Roman Catholic Church尤指天主教) 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忏悔；悔过；告罪；告解
- They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他们已经告罪并作了补赎。
[transitive] confess somebody (of a priest神父) to hear somebody confess their sins (= the bad things they have done)聆听（某人的）忏悔（或告罪、告解）

Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus, past participle of confiteri ‘acknowledge’, from con- (expressing intensive force) + fateri ‘declare, avow’.