confide

American  

[kuhn-fahyd] / kənˈfaɪd /

verb (used without object)

confided, confiding

1. to impart secrets trustfully; discuss private matters or problems (usually followed byin ).

   She confides in no one but her husband.

2. to have full trust; have faith.

   They confided in their own ability.

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verb (used with object)

confided, confiding

1. to tell in assurance of secrecy.

   He confided all his plans to her.

   Synonyms:

   impart, divulge, reveal, disclose

2. to entrust; commit to the charge or knowledge of another.

   She confided her jewelry to her sister.

confide British  

/ kənˈfaɪd /

verb

1. to disclose (secret or personal matters) in confidence (to); reveal in private (to)

2. to have complete trust

3. (tr) to entrust into another's keeping

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Other Word Forms

• confider
  noun
• preconfide
  verb
• unconfided
  adjective
• well-confided
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of confide

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin confīdere, from con- con- + fīdere “to trust” (akin to fidēs “faith, trust”; see fidelity)

Explanation

To confide in someone is to tell them something privately. We confide in people we trust. We all have secrets and subjects that are hard to talk about. When we want to talk about something sensitive, we look for someone to confide in: a person we trust not to blab about our business to the rest of the world. Most people confide in close friends or family, often to get advice. If you tell someone a secret, and then they tell ten of their friends, you made a mistake by confiding in that person.

Example Sentences

“School should be a place where young people can feel safe and confident they can confide in a teacher.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

It might be tempting to confide in colleagues that you’re having a hard time connecting with your manager, but that probably isn’t a good idea, Williams says.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

And you confide more because you know your fellow travelers—the friend who had to struggle with professional disappointments she now understands are final, or with personal ones that cannot be changed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

Nurses who complete the programme will receive a badge to let patients know they can confide in them.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

For the Imuget ceremony, each new warrior selects another warrior who he feels will be a trusted friend forever, one he can confide in during times of hardship and times of happiness.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

Related Words

• admit
• confess
• disclose
• impart
• reveal
• suggest
• whisper