ENGLISH
REFERENCE

confide

v.
C1 Advanced US //kənˈfaɪd// UK //kənfˈaɪd// con·fide Archaic

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.


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.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

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