confide

[ kuhn-fahyd ]

verb (used without object)

, con·fid·ed, con·fid·ing.

1. to impart secrets trustfully; discuss private matters or problems (usually followed by in ):

   She confides in no one but her husband.

2. to have full trust; have faith:

   They confided in their own ability.

verb (used with object)

, con·fid·ed, con·fid·ing.

1. to tell in assurance of secrecy:

   He confided all his plans to her.

   Synonyms: impart, divulge, reveal, disclose

2. to entrust; commit to the charge or knowledge of another:

   She confided her jewelry to her sister.

confide

/ kənˈfaɪd /

verb

1. usually foll byin; when tr, may take a clause as object to disclose (secret or personal matters) in confidence (to); reveal in private (to)
2. intrfoll byin to have complete trust
3. tr to entrust into another's keeping

Derived Forms

• conˈfider, noun

Other Words From

• con·fider noun
• precon·fide verb preconfided preconfiding
• uncon·fided adjective
• well-con·fided adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of confide¹

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin confīdere, from con- con- + fīdere “to trust” (akin to fidēs “faith, trust”; fidelity )

Word History and Origins

Origin of confide¹

C15: from Latin confīdere, from fīdere to trust; related to Latin foedus treaty

Example Sentences

Mr Mukhopadhyay slipped from his study, where scammers were surveilling him on his desktop, and confided briefly with his wife.

From BBC

"We could go on and win this, you know," one man cautiously confided to the table.

From BBC

Finishing a shift together away from the office, Helen says she confided in her and warned her about Mohamed Al Fayed.

From BBC

In one chat group for gay kids and their parents, a distressed young man recently confided he had not heard from his mother since coming out to her a month earlier.

From Los Angeles Times

“We weren’t really allowed to be friends with one another, and we certainly weren’t allowed to confide in one another,” she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• admit
• confess
• disclose
• impart
• reveal
• suggest
• whisper