German word

gestehen

Pronunciation

IPA/gəˈʃteːən/

Meaning

  • verbconfess

Example

Sie gesteht ihm ihre Liebe.

She confesses her love to him.

Illustration for gestehen (confess)

More examples

Er gesteht, das Geld genommen zu haben.

He confesses to having taken the money.

Core concept

A person unlocks a private truth and places it openly before another person.

Common phrases

  • seine Gefühle gestehen

    confess one's feelings

  • jemandem etwas gestehen

    confess something to someone

Similar words

zugeben: To acknowledge a fact or one's own action and tell it to someone.
mitteilen: To inform someone of an event or thought.
beichten: To confess a sin or wrong and seek forgiveness or an explanation.
preisgeben: To expose a secret or personal information to others.

Definition in German

jemandem offen sagen, dass man etwas getan hat oder fühlt

Word origin

Gestehen is an inherited Germanic verb, found in Middle High German gestēhen and Old High German gistēhan, and related to stehen.

Usage tips

  • The recipient is dative in jemandem etwas gestehen, while the admitted matter is accusative.

Other meanings

  • admitverb

Opposites

  • leugnendenyverb
  • verheimlichenconcealverb

Related words

Word lists with this word