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
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(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
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has been confidingperfect progressive
Past
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confidedsimple
-
had confidedperfect
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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:
She said she would not have trusted a chaperone enough to confide in them, a problem exacerbated by the pandemic, and that "young people are even less likely to trust authority".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Counselors and adolescent psychologists say students’ loneliness and social skills are worsening as they confide in AI tools—and it can be particularly risky for vulnerable kids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 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
She started to confide in friends about stress, or things that bothered her, which otherwise would have stayed inside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
He’s far away, but even if he were beside me, could I confide in him?
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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
One woman, who doesn’t want to give her name, confides that she’d like to hear from her brother, who recently died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
As Ruthie confides to a visiting writer: “Some people are annoying. But even the annoying ones — they’re usually annoying in interesting ways.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
"The help! Every day worse," Tía Flor confides to Yolanda, flashing her famous smile.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
While wrestling with his response to the Roebucks, Walters confided in Collins, his half brother.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
"But privately it still scares me," she confided, adding she prioritises the "human" aspect of her work.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
She could have shown indignation and confided her pain in interviews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Despite being incredibly upset, Emma did not report the doctor to police and instead confided in her husband.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Until then, we had confided in one another very little.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
After confiding in a padre - a military chaplain - the 56-year-old says she was reported to bosses and admitted to hospital, where she was held in isolation.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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
That debate is now coming for the AI companies that power the chatbots to which people are confiding the most intimate details of their private thoughts and lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 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
“Well, Malcolm,” said Bonneville, his voice low and confiding.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
