confide

 
Pronunciation: /kənˈfʌɪd/

verb

[reporting verb]
  • tell someone about a secret or private matter while trusting them not to repeat it to others: [with object]: he confided his fears to his mother [with clause]: he confided that stress had caused him to lose a stone in weight [with direct speech]: ‘I have been afraid,’ she confided (as adjective confiding) she was in a confiding mood
  • [no object] (confide in) trust (someone) enough to tell them of a secret or private matter: [with clause]: he confided in friends that he and his wife planned to separate
  • [with object] (confide something to) dated entrust something to (someone) in order for them to look after it: the property of others confided to their care was unjustifiably risked

Derivatives

confidingly

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'place trust (in')): from Latin confidere 'have full trust'. The sense 'impart as a secret' dates from the mid 18th century