confide

Confide is a verb meaning to tell someone a secret or private matter with trust and confidence, or to place trust in someone by sharing personal information. The construction confide in someone denotes the act of trusting that person to keep the information confidential; the transitive form confide something to someone describes the act of sharing information with someone.

Etymology and history: Confide comes from Latin confidere, meaning “to trust,” from con- “with” + fidere “to trust.” It passed into English through Old French and Middle English, with the sense centered on trust and disclosure.

Usage and nuance: Confide typically implies vulnerability and an expectation of discretion. It is commonly used in personal relationships, but can appear in professional or therapeutic contexts where secrecy and trust are important. The phrase confide in is used when the subject trusts a person to be reliable and discreet; confide something to is used when the speaker discloses information to someone.

Examples: She confided her fears to a close friend. He confided the project details to his team. She finally confided the secret to her sister after months of keeping it to herself.

Related terms: A confidant or confidante is a person to whom one confides; confidential describes information intended to be kept private, and confidentiality denotes the obligation to protect it. Confide is often contrasted with reveal or disclose, which can carry a stronger sense of making information public.