trust

[ truhst ]

/ trʌst /

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See synonyms for: trust / trusted / trusting / trustable on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

confident expectation of something; hope.

confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit: to sell merchandise on trust.

a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.

the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.

the obligation or responsibility imposed on a person in whom confidence or authority is placed: a position of trust.

charge, custody, or care: to leave valuables in someone's trust.

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

Law.

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).
the property or funds so held.

Commerce.

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

Archaic. reliability.

adjective

Law. of or relating to trusts or a trust.

verb (used without object)

to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something (usually followed by in or to): to trust in another's honesty; trusting to luck.

to have confidence; hope: Things work out if one only trusts.

to sell merchandise on credit.

verb (used with object)

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

to believe.

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.

to commit or consign with trust or confidence.

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.

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.

to give credit to (a person) for goods, services, etc., supplied: Will you trust us till payday?

Verb Phrases

trust to, to rely on; trust: Never trust to luck!

OTHER WORDS FOR trust

1 certainty, belief, faith.

8 commitment, commission.

17 credit.

19 entrust.

See synonyms for trust on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

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Idioms about trust

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.

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

synonym study for trust

1. 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 WORDS FROM trust

trust·a·ble, adjectivetrust·a·bil·i·ty, nountruster, nounnon·trust, noun

o·ver·trust, verbself-trust, nounun·trust·a·ble, adjectiveun·trust·ed, adjectivewell-trusted, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH trust

board, committee, council, panel, trust

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use trust in a sentence

You’ve got to learn how to trust yourself, trust your work and go out there and make it happen.
Wizards’ plan for John Wall involves fewer minutes, more run for Ish Smith, Cassius Winston|Ava Wallace|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
They are the woman whose life was ruined by a man who was trusted with too much power.
The mind-boggling end of Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, explained|Constance Grady|November 20, 2020|Vox
That level of trust is key when dealing with a resource as precious as water.
The High-Capacity Water Filter You Need for Base Camp|Joe Jackson|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
Eventually, I gained the trust of more than a dozen of the adolescents and young men I met in Bensenville, where they lived.
The Stolen Childhood of Teenage Factory Workers|by Melissa Sanchez|November 20, 2020|ProPublica

Now, I feel like we’ve done enough jobs that there’s a shorthand with producers and there is a little bit more trust in the people we’ve worked with.
‘Logistical issues’: Confessions of a production exec on how coronavirus safety has changed her job|Kristina Monllos|November 18, 2020|Digiday
But I trusted Tony Robbins could sort me out on both fronts.
Can Self-Help Books Really Make a New You?|Lizzie Crocker|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He charged his trusted advisor Yitzhak Molcho to act as a watchdog to prevent any progress.
Goodbye to Israel’s Lousy Government (Let’s Hope the Next One Isn’t Worse)|Alon Ben-Meir|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This,” Biden added, “is about acknowledging the most trusted man in journalism.
Kissy-Face The Nation: Washington’s Power Elite Smooch Bob Schieffer|Lloyd Grove|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As in most prisons, the “trusty” was a convict the warden trusted and thus had special privileges.
The Tragic History of Southern Food|Jason Berry|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For conservatives, only explicitly right-wing news organizations can be trusted to tell the truth.
Pew Study: Americans Are Self-Segregating Amid Proliferating Partisan Media|John Avlon|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When trusted with anything like the command of a mixed body of troops he proved an utter failure.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
This they soon discovered, and I had the satisfaction of knowing that I was liked and trusted.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
He trusted that what might be done in this matter be most expedient for the service of the king our sovereign.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
I disappointed her fust time she trusted me, and I've got to stay long enough to show I ain't so wuthless as I seemed.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Though monuments may be moved intentionally or by natural causes, they can be more trusted in the long run of things.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

British Dictionary definitions for trust

trust

/ (trʌst) /

noun

reliance on and confidence in the truth, worth, reliability, etc, of a person or thing; faithRelated adjective: fiducial

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

the obligation of someone in a responsible positiona position of trust

custody, charge, or carea child placed in my trust

a person or thing in which confidence or faith is placed

commercial credit

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
property that is the subject of such an arrangement
the confidence put in the trusteeRelated adjective: fiduciary

(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

See trust company, trust account (def. 2)

(modifier) of or relating to a trust or truststrust property

verb

(tr; may take a clause as object) to expect, hope, or supposeI trust that you are well

(when tr, may take an infinitive; when intr, often foll by in or to) to place confidence in (someone to do something); have faith (in); rely (upon)I trust him to tell her

(tr) to consign for carethe child was trusted to my care

(tr) to allow (someone to do something) with confidence in his or her good sense or honestyI trust my daughter to go

(tr) to extend business credit to

Derived forms of trust

trustable, adjectivetrustability, nountruster, noun

Word Origin for trust

C13: from Old Norse traust; related to Old High German trost solace

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for trust

trust

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.)

Other Idioms and Phrases with trust

trust

see brain trust; in trust.

trust

OTHER WORDS FOR trust

Idioms about trust

Origin of trust

synonym study for trust

OTHER WORDS FROM trust

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH trust

Words related to trust

How to use trust in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trust

Derived forms of trust

Word Origin for trust

Cultural definitions for trust

Other Idioms and Phrases with trust