beichten
confess
Einer anderen Person offen sagen, was man falsch gemacht hat, oft aus moralischen oder religiösen Gründen.
Definition & meaning
beichten means to confess or to make a confession.
- In a religious context, it means to confess sins to a priest, often as part of the sacrament of confession.
- More generally, it means to admit something one has done, especially a wrongdoing or a secret, often to someone personally: to confess something to someone.
Grammar & Word origin
beichten is a regular verb. Its past participle is gebeichtet, and it forms the perfect tense with haben. It can be used with an object or without one: a person may confess something or simply confess.
The verb is closely related to the noun die Beichte (“confession”). The word has an old history in German religious language; its modern parts do not form a transparent, productive combination.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms include:
- gestehen — to admit or confess, usually a fact or wrongdoing. It is more general and does not usually carry the specifically religious sense of beichten.
- eingestehen — to acknowledge or admit something, often something one has been reluctant to accept.
- bekennen — to profess or declare something openly; it can sound more formal and may refer to beliefs as well as actions.
Possible antonyms include:
- verschweigen — to keep something secret or not mention it.
- leugnen — to deny that something is true or that one did it.
- abstreiten — to deny an accusation or claim, often explicitly.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Er möchte dir seine Sünden beichten.verb
He wants to confess his sins to you.
Hast du ihm die ganze Wahrheit gebeichtet?verb
Have you confessed the whole truth to him?
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