(transitive) to confess, to admit / (transitive) to bear witness, to avow / (reflexive, often with zu (to/with/on)) to pledge oneself (to), to commit (to), to declare one's affiliation (with), to take a stand (on) / (reflexive, law) to plead

gerund of bekennen

(card games) to follow suit / (idiomatic) to show one's true colors, declare oneself / (idiomatic) to nail one's colours to the mast, declare oneself / (idiomatic) to come clean

present participle of bekennen

genitive of Bekennen