ENGLISH
REFERENCE

confidence in sb/sth

prep. phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. the feeling that you can trust someone or something to be good, honest, or successful.

prep. phr.. a state of trust or reliance in the integrity, ability, or efficacy of a person, entity, or system.


SIMPLE

The public has lost confidence in the government.

CONTEXTUAL

After the successful product launch, the investors expressed full confidence in the CEO's long-term strategy.

COMPLEX

Restoring consumer confidence in the banking sector is essential for ensuring the stability of the national economy during this period of volatility.

Usage

the preposition 'in' is fixed; it is often used with verbs like 'have', 'lose', or 'restore'.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'confidence' as a personality trait (self-confidence); this specific structure focuses on the external target of that trust.

Pitfall

I have confidence on him.I have confidence in him.the noun 'confidence' collocations with the preposition 'in', not 'on' or 'to'.

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