confide

English

Etymology

From Latin confīdō (“I trust fully, I am assured, confide, rely”), from con- (“together”) + fīdō (“I trust”); see faith, fidelity.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kənˈfaɪd/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪd

Verb

confide (third-person singular simple present confides, present participle confiding, simple past and past participle confided)

1. (intransitive, now rare) To trust, have faith (in).
   • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society, published 1985, page 269:

     "Be calm, lovely Antonia!" he replied; "no danger in near you: confide in my protection."

   • 1818, [Mary Shelley], Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, OCLC 830979744:

     "I shall do nothing rashly: you know me sufficiently to confide in my prudence and consideration whenever the safety of others is committed to my care."

   • 1807, Lord Byron, The Prayer of Nature:

     In thy protection I confide.

2. (transitive, dated) To entrust (something) to the responsibility of someone.

   I confide this mission to you alone.

3. (intransitive) To take (someone) into one's confidence, to speak in secret with. ( + in)

   I could no longer keep this secret alone; I decided to confide in my brother.

4. (transitive, intransitive) To say (something) in confidence.

   After several drinks, I confided my problems to the barman.

   She confided that her marriage had been in trouble for some time.

Related terms

• confidant
• confidante
• confidence
• confident
• confidential
• overconfident

 

Translations

to trust, have faith in

• Bulgarian: вя́рвам (bg) (vjárvam), доверявам (doverjavam)
• Czech: důvěřovat (cs) impf
• Dutch: vertrouwen (op) (nl)
• Finnish: luottaa (fi)
• French: faire confiance (fr)

• German: vertrauen (de)
• Russian: доверя́ться (ru) impf (doverjátʹsja), дове́риться (ru) pf (dovéritʹsja)
• Spanish: confiar (es)
• Ukrainian: довіря́ти (dovirjáty)

intransitive: to take (someone) into one's confidence

• Arabic: نَاجَى‎ (nājā)
• Bulgarian: доверявам се (doverjavam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 委托 (zh)

• Czech: svěřit (cs) pf
• Dutch: toevertrouwen (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: uskoutua (fi)
• French: confier (fr)
• German: einweihen (de), ins Vertrauen ziehen
• Latin: concrēdō
• Russian: доверя́ть (ru) impf (doverjátʹ), дове́рить (ru) pf (dovéritʹ)
• Ukrainian: поклада́тися (pokladátysja)

to say (something) in confidence

• Bulgarian: поверявам (bg) (poverjavam)
• Dutch: toevertrouwen (nl)
• Finnish: uskoutua (fi)
• French: confier (fr)

• Greek: εκμυστηρεύομαι (el) (ekmystirévomai)
• Latin: concrēdō
• Maori: whāki, muna

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} konfidi (eo)

• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} trúa fyrir

Further reading

• confide in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• confide in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

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Latin

Verb

cōnfīde

1. second-person singular present active imperative of cōnfīdō