{
    "term": "confess",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "confess",
            "heSheIt": "confesses"
        },
        "pastSimple": "confessed",
        "pastParticiple": "confessed",
        "ingForm": "confessing"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to admit, especially formally or to the police, that you have done something wrong or illegal",
            "sensetop": "confess to (doing) somethingconfess (that)…confess to somebody (that)…confess your crime, error, etc.",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "After hours of questioning, the suspect confessed."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She confessed to the murder.",
                    "contextForm": "confess to (doing) something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He confessed that he had stolen the money.",
                    "contextForm": "confess (that)…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She confessed to me that she had known his true identity for some time.",
                    "contextForm": "confess to somebody (that)…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We persuaded her to confess her crime.",
                    "contextForm": "confess your crime, error, etc."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Crime and punishment"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["freely", "openly", "publicly"],
                "verb + confess": ["have to", "must"],
                "preposition": ["to"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to admit something that you feel ashamed or embarrassed about",
            "sensetop": "confess somethingconfess to (doing) somethingconfess (that)…+ speechconfess yourself + adj.",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was reluctant to confess her ignorance.",
                    "contextForm": "confess something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "**I must confess** to knowing nothing about golf.",
                    "contextForm": "confess to (doing) something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I confess (that) I know nothing about golf.",
                    "contextForm": "confess (that)…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "‘I know nothing about it,’ he confessed.",
                    "contextForm": "+ speech"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I confess myself bewildered by their explanation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I must confess that I didn't have much faith in her ideas."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He had to confess to knowing nothing about computers."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Feelings"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["freely", "openly", "publicly"],
                "verb + confess": ["have to", "must"],
                "preposition": ["to"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "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",
            "sensetop": "confess (something) (to somebody)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They had confessed their sins and done their penance."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to hear somebody confess their sins (= the bad things they have done)",
            "sensetop": "confess somebody",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfes/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfess__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfesɪz/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfesses__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfest/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfessed__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfesɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfessing__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfes/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfess__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfesɪz/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfesses__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfest/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfessed__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfesɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/confess/xconfessing__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus, past participle of confiteri ‘acknowledge’, from con- (expressing intensive force) + fateri ‘declare, avow’."
}