confide
Americanverb (used without object)
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confides,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confided,
past participle, past
-
confiding
present participle
-
to impart secrets trustfully; discuss private matters or problems (usually followed byin ).
She confides in no one but her husband.
-
to have full trust; have faith.
They confided in their own ability.
verb (used with object)
-
confides,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confided,
past participle, past
-
confiding
present participle
verb
-
to disclose (secret or personal matters) in confidence (to); reveal in private (to)
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to have complete trust
-
(tr) to entrust into another's keeping
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confidesimple
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confidessimple
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have confidedperfect
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has confidedperfect
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am confidingprogressive
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are confidingprogressive
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is confidingprogressive
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have been confidingperfect progressive
-
has been confidingperfect progressive
Past
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confidedsimple
-
had confidedperfect
-
was confidingprogressive
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were confidingprogressive
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had been confidingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing confide
"Of Mice and Men"
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List 15
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Bronx Masquerade
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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:
At the front, she said, he notices outbursts and mental fraying from his fellow servicemen, but few confide their feelings because any sign of weakness could shake trust when lives are on the line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
“We want to make sure that we’re patient and provide a safe space for them to confide on what’s actually going on.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
In the school corridor, outside an English classroom decorated with artwork depicting various Shakespeare plays, friends Hena and Fena confide they have mixed feelings about the ban.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 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
If any Muggle is unwise enough to confide in another that he has spotted a Hippogriff winging its way north, he is generally believed to be drunk or a ‘loony’.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
As Fielder later confides to Seyfried, “Either this is fully sincere and she actually has no clue about the deal Billy made, or she honestly might be the most manipulative person that’s ever lived.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
"This is the hardest house for me because Shiri was a very, very good friend of mine," Dalit confides.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
In Naiguata, a small coastal town famous for its traditional "dancing devils" festival, Cesar Rendon, 49, a former inmate who lived in the town's halfway house, confides that he "unburdened himself" with Apostol.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
She confides her joy in working there and also tells John that he was abandoned as a baby on the steps of the store.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
But Theo leaves to go back to work before Vincent, and at New Years Vincent confides in his parents that he might quit his job.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Even flight attendants confided in Sonia-Wallace about their love of travel, which he honored in a poem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
But a volunteer at the polling place confided, on condition of anonymity, that "it seems like people are pretty clear."
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
Steve, a devout Catholic, confided that he felt more fulfilled helping people in need than running a business that made industrial components.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
While wrestling with his response to the Roebucks, Walters confided in Collins, his half brother.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Even at this moment, I do not know what they regard as classified,’” William confided to a close friend in 1966.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
This sounds unwieldy and somewhat contrived, but Ms. Ní Ghríofa’s insistent, confiding style is captivating and her eccentric exploration has the urgency of a psychological thriller.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Ms. Applegate has a smoky, confiding voice that swings along but shifts register when the material warrants it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Davis agreed, confiding that he’d previously told the “Two People Exchanging Saliva” team “in confidence, that if we lost, I hope we lost to them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
As more emails emerge, there's a growing impression of how much Ferguson seemed to depend on Epstein, telling him he was her "pillar" and confiding "I have been so so sad".
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
She described in detail her dream about the painting, confiding that no one but Calder knew about it.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
