confide

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /kənˈfaɪd/ See IPA manual

Freq #14694

Meanings

1

verb
To tell someone a secret or private matter because you trust them.

She finally confided her fears to her closest friend.
2

verb
To share your private thoughts with someone you trust.

He had no one to confide in after the divorce.
3

verb
To trust someone with an important task or responsibility.

They confided the running of the office to their deputy.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with confide

confide in Prepositional verb C1

to tell someone private information because one trusts them

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 verb · to trust someone with an... trust

Word family

Forms confidedconfidesconfidingconfidingly

Derived forms confidableconfideeconfiderconfidingmisconfidereconfideunconfided

Related forms confidant confidante confidence confident confidential overconfident

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

confide in
to tell someone private information because one trusts them

Verb + preposition/particle

Simplified etymology

Confide, recorded in late Middle English, comes from the same Latin source, fides, as faith, fidelity, confidence, and diffident.

Etymology

From Middle Scots confide, confyde (“to put trust in”), from Latin confīdere (“to put trust in, have confidence in”), from con- (“together”) + fidēre (“to trust”). First attested in English use in the early 17th century. Doublet of faith and fidelity.

*bʰeydʰ- Proto-Indo-European confide gmw-msc confīdō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# confide

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /kənˈfaɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 14694

## Meanings
1. To tell someone a secret or private matter because you trust them.
2. To share your private thoughts with someone you trust.
3. To trust someone with an important task or responsibility.

## Examples
- She finally confided her fears to her closest friend.
- He had no one to confide in after the divorce.
- They confided the running of the office to their deputy.

## Derived Forms
- confidable
- confidee
- confider
- confiding
- misconfide
- reconfide
- unconfided

## Related Forms
- confidant
- confidante
- confidence
- confident
- confidential
- overconfident

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *bʰeydʰ-
- Root: confide
- Root: confīdō

## Etymology
From Middle Scots confide, confyde (“to put trust in”), from Latin confīdere (“to put trust in, have confidence in”), from con- (“together”) + fidēre (“to trust”). First attested in English use in the early 17th century. Doublet of faith and fidelity.

## AI Etymology
Confide is from Middle Scots confide, confyde (“to put trust in”), from Latin confīdere (“to put trust in, have confidence in”), from con- (“together”) + fidēre (“to trust”). First attested in English use in the early 17th century. Doublet of faith and fidelity. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean to tell someone a secret or private matter because you trust them, or to share your private thoughts with someone you trust. Related forms include confidant, confidante, confidence, confident, confidential. Derived formations include confidable, confidee, confider, confiding, misconfide.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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