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供認，坦白，承認（錯誤或罪行）
- After hours of questioning, the suspect confessed.經過數小時的審問後，嫌疑犯終於招供。
- confess to (doing) something She confessed to the murder.她供認犯了謀殺罪。
- confess (that)… He confessed that he had stolen the money.他承認他偷了那筆錢。
- confess to somebody (that)… She confessed to me that she had known his true identity for some time.她向我承認她知道他的真實身分已有一段時間了。
- confess your crime, error, etc. We persuaded her to confess her crime.我們說服她坦白她的罪行。
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承認（自己感到羞愧或尴尬的事）
- confess something She was reluctant to confess her ignorance.她不願承認她的無知。
- confess to (doing) something I must confess to knowing nothing about golf.我必須承認我對高爾夫一無所知。
- confess (that)… I confess (that) I know nothing about golf.我承認我對高爾夫一無所知。
- + speech ‘I know nothing about it,’ he confessed.“我對此一無所知，”他坦白道。
confess yourself + adj.
- (formal) I confess myself bewildered by their explanation.我承認他們的解釋使我感到困惑。
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.我承認，那次幹的是件蠢事。
- acknowledge (rather formal) to accept that something exists, is true or has happened:指承認某事物存在或屬實：
  She refuses to acknowledge the need for reform.她拒不承認改革的必要性。
- recognize to admit or be aware that something exists or is true:
  They recognized the need to take the problem seriously.他們認識到需要嚴肅對待這個問題。
- concede (rather formal) to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true or logical:指承認（常指不情願地承認某事屬實或合乎邏輯）：
  He was forced to concede (that) there might be difficulties.他被迫承認可能有困難。
admit or concede?用 admit 還是 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.她不願意承認自己無知。
  He confessed to the murder.他對謀殺罪行供認不諱。
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.我必須承認對她的想法我沒有什麽信心。
- I must confess to knowing nothing about computers.我得承認對電腦一竅不通。
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懺悔；悔過；告罪；告解
- They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他們已經告罪並作了補贖。
[transitive] confess somebody (of a priest神父) to hear somebody confess their sins (= the bad things they have done)聆聽（某人的）懺悔（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’.