confession
[noun]
Synonyms: admission, acknowledgment, disclosure, exposure, revelation, unbosoming

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

con‧fes‧sion /kənˈfeʃən/ noun

1. [countable] a statement that you have done something wrong, illegal, or embarrassing, especially a formal statement:
Sanchez’s confession was read out to the court.
confession of
a confession of adultery
At 3 a.m. Higgins broke down and made a full confession.
I have a confession – I like Britney Spears’ music.

2. [uncountable and countable] when you tell a priest or God about the bad things that you have done:
You must go to confession.
a priest who hears confession

3. [countable] formal a statement of what your religious beliefs are
confession of
a confession of faith

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

confession
noun
I. admitting guilt
ADJ. detailed, full | honest, true It's difficult to believe it's an honest confession after all her lies.
false | alleged | uncorroborated | signed, taped/tape-recorded, written | deathbed
VERB + CONFESSION make | sign | extract, get, obtain, secure He claims his confession was extracted under torture.
retract She made a false confession during the trial which she later retracted.
exclude The court excluded the confession wrongly obtained by the police.
PREP. ~ by an alleged confession by the defendant
~ from a confession from the prisoner
~ of a true confession of a terrible crime
~ to a confession to murder
PHRASES force/get a confession out of sb The police forced a confession out of him.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

confession
II. embarrassing statement
ADJ. candid, open | shy
VERB + CONFESSION made The government made open confession of its inability to cope with the crisis.
PREP. ~ of her shy confession of love
PHRASES have a confession to make I have a confession to make. I read your private emails.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

confession
III. to a priest
VERB + CONFESSION go to I used to go to confession every Saturday as a child.
hear The priest heard her confession and granted absolution.
CONFESSION + NOUN box
PHRASES an act of confession

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

confession

make a confession
The police interviewed him for five hours before he finally made a confession.
get/obtain a confession
Threats must not be used in order to obtain confessions.
extract a confession (=get one with difficulty, or by using violence)
Torture was sometimes used to extract confessions.
sign a confession
He had signed a confession in front of witnesses.
retract a confession (=say that a confession you made was not true)
Though he had confessed to the police, Gerrards later retracted his confession.
a full confession (=in which you admit everything)
The killer had made a full confession to the authorities.
a written confession
A police interview may lead to a written confession.
a false confession (=one that is not true)
The officers were accused of extracting false confessions from some of the prisoners.
have a confession (to make) (=used humorously when you want to admit to doing something)
I have a confession to make – I’ve eaten all the chocolates.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲