Word
confide
Phoneticscon·fide
US/kənˈfaɪd/
UK/kənfˈaɪd/
Definition
v. to tell a secret to someone you trust. You use this when you want to share something private with a friend.
v. to reveal a secret or private information to someone in confidence. Transitive — requires a direct object and often a prepositional phrase indicating the recipient.
Examples
“She decided to confide in her best friend about the problem.”
“He felt comfortable enough to confide in his lawyer about the financial difficulties he was facing.”
“The diplomat chose to confide in a trusted colleague rather than risk the information being leaked to the press during the sensitive negotiations.”
Examples
simple
“She decided to confide in her best friend about the problem.”
contextual
“He felt comfortable enough to confide in his lawyer about the financial difficulties he was facing.”
complex
“The diplomat chose to confide in a trusted colleague rather than risk the information being leaked to the press during the sensitive negotiations.”
Real-World Examples
“In 2023, some friends confided they had joined SurrogacyUK as they hoped to start a family, but needed some help.” “She confided in her mother and sister at the time, and went to the police the following year.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/confide