trust

American  

[truhst] / trʌst /

noun

1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

   Synonyms:

   faith, belief, certainty

2. confident expectation of something; hope.

3. confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit.

   to sell merchandise on trust.

4. a person on whom or thing on which one relies.

   God is my trust.

5. the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.

6. the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed.

   a position of trust.

7. charge, custody, or care.

   to leave valuables in someone's trust.

8. something committed or entrusted to one's care for use or safekeeping, as an office, duty, or the like; responsibility; charge.

   Synonyms:

   commission, commitment

9. Law.

   1. a fiduciary relationship in which one person (the trustee) holds the title to property (the trust estate or trust property) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary).

   2. the property or funds so held.

10. Commerce.

    1. an illegal combination of industrial or commercial companies in which the stock of the constituent companies is controlled by a central board of trustees, a group of people who have assumed the authority to supervise the affairs of the constituent companies, thus making it possible to manage the companies so as to minimize production costs, control prices, eliminate competition, etc.

    2. any large industrial or commercial corporation or combination having a monopolistic or semimonopolistic control over the production of some commodity or service.

11. Archaic. reliability.

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adjective

1. Law. of or relating to trusts or a trust.

verb (used without object)

1. to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something (usually followed by in orto ).

   to trust in another's honesty; trusting to luck.

2. to have confidence; hope.

   Things work out if one only trusts.

3. to sell merchandise on credit.

verb (used with object)

1. to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.

2. to believe.

   Synonyms:

   credit

3. to expect confidently; hope (usually followed by a clause or infinitive as object).

   trusting the job would soon be finished; trusting to find oil on the land.

4. to commit or consign with trust or confidence.

   Synonyms:

   entrust

5. to permit to remain or go somewhere or to do something without fear of consequences.

   He does not trust his children out of his sight.

6. to invest with a trust; entrust or charge with the responsibility for something.

   We trust her to improve the finances of the company within the year.

7. to give credit to (a person) for goods, services, etc., supplied.

   Will you trust us till payday?

verb phrase

1. trust to to rely on; trust.

   Never trust to luck!

idioms

1. in trust, in the position of being left in the care or guardianship of another.

   She left money to her uncle to keep in trust for her children.

trust British  

/ trʌst /

noun

1. reliance on and confidence in the truth, worth, reliability, etc, of a person or thing; faith

2. a group of commercial enterprises combined to monopolize and control the market for any commodity: illegal in the US

3. the obligation of someone in a responsible position

   a position of trust

4. custody, charge, or care

   a child placed in my trust

5. a person or thing in which confidence or faith is placed

6. commercial credit

7. 1. an arrangement whereby a person to whom the legal title to property is conveyed (the trustee) holds such property for the benefit of those entitled to the beneficial interest

   2. property that is the subject of such an arrangement

   3. the confidence put in the trustee

8. (in the British National Health Service) a self-governing hospital, group of hospitals, or other body providing health-care services, which operates as an independent commercial unit within the NHS

9. See trust company trust account

10. (modifier) of or relating to a trust or trusts

    trust property

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verb

1. (tr; may take a clause as object) to expect, hope, or suppose

   I trust that you are well

2. to place confidence in (someone to do something); have faith (in); rely (upon)

   I trust him to tell her

3. (tr) to consign for care

   the child was trusted to my care

4. (tr) to allow (someone to do something) with confidence in his or her good sense or honesty

   I trust my daughter to go

5. (tr) to extend business credit to

trust Cultural  

1. A combination of firms or corporations for the purpose of reducing competition and controlling prices throughout a business or industry. Trusts are generally prohibited or restricted by antitrust legislation. (Compare monopoly.)

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trust More Idioms  

1. see brain trust; in trust.

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Related Words

Trust, assurance, confidence imply a feeling of security. Trust implies instinctive unquestioning belief in and reliance upon something: to have trust in one's parents. Confidence implies conscious trust because of good reasons, definite evidence, or past experience: to have confidence in the outcome of events. Assurance implies absolute confidence and certainty: to feel an assurance of victory.

Other Word Forms

• nontrust
  noun
• overtrust
  verb
• self-trust
  noun
• trustability
  noun
• trustable
  adjective
• truster
  noun
• untrustable
  adjective
• untrusted
  adjective
• well-trusted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of trust

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun from Old Norse traust “trust” (cognate with German Trost “comfort”); Middle English verb trusten, from Old Norse treysta, derivative of traust

Explanation

If you trust someone then you believe that they’re honest and reliable. If you loan your car to someone, you had better trust them to bring it back to you, and in good shape. Trust takes many forms. You could trust in something abstract, like the idea that things happen for a reason. If you are naïve, people might take advantage of your trust. A trust can also be a fund or an alliance meant to take care of something. A trust fund gives money to some lucky trustee so that he doesn’t need to worry about employment. A wildlife trust saves land from development so animals can live there.

Example Sentences

Drummers Farming Limited, based near Sherborne, gave £10,000 to the Dorset Wildlife Trust, which will be used for the Winfrith and Tadnoll Wetland Restoration Project.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp., which safeguards more than $100 trillion in financial assets, later this year plans to tokenize some of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Lullaby Trust CEO Jenny Ward says greater regulation would make sure "safe, consistent and evidence-based practices" are followed.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

According to the latest Trust & Will report on the state of the estate-planning industry, only 11% of adults have a valid power of attorney.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

“This might be new for you, but they never go out of style. Trust me, I’ve got some stories.”

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• confidence
• expectation
• faith
• hope