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Webster 1913 Edition


Confide

Con-fide′

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Confided
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Confiding
.]
[L.
confidere
;
con-
+
fidere
to trust. See
Faith
, and cf.
Affiance
.]
To put faith (in); to repose confidence; to trust; – usually followed by in;
as, the prince
confides
in his ministers
.
By thy command I rise or fall,
In thy protection I
confide
.
Byron.
Judge before friendships, then
confide
till death.
Young.

Con-fide′

,
Verb.
T.
To intrust; to give in charge; to commit to one’s keeping; – followed by to.
Congress may . . .
confide
to the Circuit jurisdiction of all offenses against the United States.
Story.

Webster 1828 Edition


Confide

CONFI'DE

,
Verb.
T.
[L., to trust. See Faith.] To trust; to rely on, with a persuasion of faithfulness or veracity in the person trusted or of the reality of a fact; to give credit to ; to believe in, with assurance; followed by in. The prince confides in his ministers. The minister confides in the strength and resources of the nation. we confide in the veracity of the sacred historians. We confide in the truth of a report.

CONFI'DE

,
Verb.
T.
To entrust; to commit to the charge of, with a belief in the fidelity of the person entrusted; to deliver into possession of another, with assurance of safe keeping, or good management; followed by to. We confide a secret to a friend. The prince confides a negotiation to his envoy. The common interests of the United States are confided to the Congress.
They would take the property out of the hands of those to whom it was confided by the charter.
Congress may, under the constitution, confide to the circuit court, jurisdiction of all offenses against the United States.

Definition 2024


confide

confide

English

Verb

confide (third-person singular simple present confides, present participle confiding, simple past and past participle confided)

  1. (intransitive, now rare) To trust, have faith (in).
    • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, p. 269:
      "Be calm, lovely Antonia!" he replied; "no danger in near you: confide in my protection."
    • 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus, Everyman's Library 1973, p. 10:
      "I shall do nothing rashly: you know me sufficiently to confide in my prudence and consideration whenever the safety of others is committed to my care."
    • Byron
      In thy protection I confide.
  2. (transitive, dated) To entrust (something) to the responsibility of someone.
    I confide this mission to you alone.
  3. (intransitive) To take (someone) into one's confidence, to speak in secret with. ( + in)
    I could no longer keep this secret alone; I decided to confide in my brother.
  4. (transitive, intransitive) To say (something) in confidence.
    After several drinks, I confided my problems to the barman.
    She confided that her marriage had been in trouble for some time.

Related terms

Translations

External links

  • confide in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • confide in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Latin

Verb

cōnfīde

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of cōnfīdō