confide
confide Lexical Profile
confide Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To tell someone about a secret or private matter while trusting them not to repeat it to others.
"He decided to confide in his older sister about his career doubts."
To entrust a possession, task, or person to the care and protection of someone else (formal).
"The collector chose to confide the rare manuscripts to the university library for safekeeping."
Word Nuance & Usage
When indicating the person receiving a secret, "confide" is usually followed by the preposition "in" (e.g., "confide in a friend"), whereas "confide to" is used when specifying the secret itself (e.g., "confide a secret to someone").
• Rhymes for confide
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-15th century from Latin "confidere," meaning "to have full trust or reliance," formed from the intensive prefix "con-" and "fidere" ("to trust").