different between declare vs confess

English

Etymology

From Old French declarer, from Latin d?cl?r? (“to make clear”), from d?- + cl?rus (“clear”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d??kle?/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d??kl??/, /d??kl??/

Verb

declare (third-person singular simple present declares, present participle declaring, simple past and past participle declared)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To make clear, explain, interpret.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew XV:

     Then answered Peter and sayd to him: declare unto us thys parable.

   • 1664, Robert Boyle, Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours

     To declare this a little, we must assume that the surfaces of all such bodies […] are exactly smooth.

2. (intransitive) To make a declaration.

   Synonyms: disclose, make known; see also Thesaurus:announce

3. (card games) To show one's cards in order to score.
4. (transitive) To announce one’s support, choice, opinion, etc.

5. (intransitive, cricket) For the captain of the batting side to announce the innings complete even though all batsmen have not been dismissed.
6. (transitive) To announce something formally or officially.

   (cricket) declare (an innings) closed

   • 2019, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     One South Korean opposition party called on Moon to declare the current air pollution problem a national disaster.

7. (intransitive, politics) For a constituency in an election to officially announce the result

8. (transitive) To affirm or state something emphatically.
9. (transitive) To inform government customs or taxation officials of goods one is importing or of income, expenses, or other circumstances affecting one's taxes.
   • 1984, Richard Woodbury and Anastasia Toufexis, "Law: The Trouble with Harry," Time, 2 April:

     The prosecution has introduced evidence, including canceled checks, to show that the judge failed to declare part of his income.

10. (transitive) To make outstanding debts, e.g. taxes, payable.
11. (transitive, programming) To explicitly establish the existence of (a variable, function, etc.) without necessarily describing its content.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• cedrela, cleared, creedal, relaced

Portuguese

Verb

declare

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of declarar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of declarar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of declarar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of declarar

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [de?klare]

Verb

declare

1. third-person singular present subjunctive of declara
2. third-person plural present subjunctive of declara

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /de?kla?e/, [d?e?kla.?e]

Verb

declare

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of declarar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of declarar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of declarar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of declarar.

English

Etymology

From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Medieval Latin confess? (“I confess”), a derivative of Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of c?nfiteor (“I confess, I admit”) from con- + fateor (“I admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten (“to confess, admit”) (from Old English andettan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?f?s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Verb

confess (third-person singular simple present confesses, present participle confessing, simple past and past participle confessed)

2. To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.

   I confess to spray-painting all over that mural!

   I confess that I am a sinner.

   • I must confess I was most pleased with a beautiful prospect that none of them have mentioned.

3. To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.

   • Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess, also, before my Father which is in heaven.

   • For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

4. (religion) To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.

   • Our beautiful votary took an opportunity of confessing herself to this celebrated father.

5. (religion) To hear or receive such a confession of sins from.
   • 1523–1525, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners (translator), Froissart's Chronicles

     He […] heard mass, and the prince, his son, with him, and the most part of his company were confessed.

7. To disclose or reveal.

Derived terms

• fess, fess up

Related terms

• confession
• confessional
• confessor

Translations

See also

• own up
• come clean