entrust
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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(usually foll by with) to invest or charge (with a duty, responsibility, etc)
-
(often foll by to) to put into the care or protection of someone
Usage
It is usually considered incorrect to talk about entrusting someone to do something: the army cannot be trusted (not entrusted ) to carry out orders
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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entrustsimple
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entrustssimple
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have entrustedperfect
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has entrustedperfect
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am entrustingprogressive
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are entrustingprogressive
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is entrustingprogressive
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have been entrustingperfect progressive
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has been entrustingperfect progressive
Past
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entrustedsimple
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had entrustedperfect
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was entrustingprogressive
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were entrustingprogressive
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had been entrustingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of entrust
Explanation
To entrust is to give someone a responsibility you assume she will fulfill. If you entrust someone with the task of getting you to school on time, make sure she’s punctual. To entrust is to let someone take care of something for you because you believe she will protect it. It could be a duty or a thing — you might entrust a nursing home with the care of your parents or entrust an accountant with your finances. Entrust is a verb that needs an object, so you always entrust with or to something. If a friend entrusts you with a secret, she trusts you not to tell.
Vocabulary lists containing entrust
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Always there for him to confide in, complain to and entrust with his continually evolving thoughts on Jewish life and theology, Kaplan called these ledger-size handwritten volumes his “communings of the spirit.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
Murrin’s case highlights pitfalls that lurk when people entrust someone with their taxes, according to Olson.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Major investors and tenants also remain reluctant to entrust multibillion-dollar decisions to unproven platforms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Are the Rams really about to entrust him with the responsibility of projecting their virtues?
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
“God, I entrust her to you,” she said.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
Constitution entrusts Congress with the power to “declare war.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
“It doesn’t matter what percentage he owns, it’s the percentage that the owner entrusts him to advise and help make football decisions,” the source said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
Our legal system entrusts trial judges with a wide swath of discretionary decisions in ruling on evidence, framing jury instructions, and controlling other facets of the cases they try, with barely any appellate supervision.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2024
That’s especially true for the police to whom the public entrusts great power.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
"He entrusts some small matters to us, to lighten his load."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Following MacGowan's death in 2023, MacGowan's widow Victoria Mary Clarke entrusted Hansard with the role of "musical director" of her husband's funeral.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
“At some point, it is really outside the ability of someone with dementia to determine what is safe and to ensure their own physical safety. That is entrusted to a family caregiver,” says Resendez.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
The National Symphony did pull off the premiere of Peter Boyer’s “American Mosaic,” and it was to the Altadena composer that Philadelphia, this time around, entrusted its Declaration of Independence commemoration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Suspicion has risen across the board toward the institutions that were entrusted in various forms with checking—from universities and government bodies to the press, credit agencies and legal institutions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
I felt honored to be entrusted with it.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
"It's inhumane. We've been entrusting him to the centre," Noorman said.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
As these concerns mount, few in the industry have addressed the character of their AI models in quite the same way as 5-year-old Anthropic: by entrusting a single person with so much of the task.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
He flies around Texas in a private jet, but it belongs to the much wealthier people entrusting him to handle their business.
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2025
So Musselman took “a leap of faith,” entrusting things would be different with Rice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
I felt really wobbly when he first got going, but as he picks up a good enough speed to throw a breeze our way, I appreciate the control I’m entrusting to him.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
