Definition of confidenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word confide distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of confide are commit, consign, entrust, and relegate. While all these words mean "to assign to a person or place for a definite purpose," confide implies entrusting with great assurance or reliance.

confided complete control of my affairs to my attorney

When is commit a more appropriate choice than confide?

While in some cases nearly identical to confide, commit may express the general idea of delivering into another's charge or the special sense of transferring to a superior power or to a special place of custody.

committed the felon to prison

When could consign be used to replace confide?

While the synonyms consign and confide are close in meaning, consign suggests removing from one's control with formality or finality.

consigned the damaging notes to the fire

Where would entrust be a reasonable alternative to confide?

In some situations, the words entrust and confide are roughly equivalent. However, entrust implies committing with trust and confidence.

the president is entrusted with broad powers

When would relegate be a good substitute for confide?

The words relegate and confide are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, relegate implies a consigning to a particular class or sphere often with a suggestion of getting rid of.

relegated to an obscure position in the company

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confide The problem with Dolan, this person confided, was that the owner fancied himself knowledgeable about basketball. — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026 But during the March video conference, Colorado regulators confided to industry lobbyists that the tool for rooting out fraud isn’t working. — Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 15 May 2026 In video testimony last week, Toner said a starting point for the decision to oust Altman was when OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, a respected AI scientist, reached out to confide some of his own concerns. — ABC News, 11 May 2026 Patriarch George confides to his descendants in a personal realization about his lengthy time on Fremont Ave. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 9 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for confide
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confide
Verb
  • Institutions ensure that responsibility survives the individuals entrusted with it.
    — Walid Chiniara, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The board is entrusted with the educational, physical and financial well-being of the district.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Notably, the bill allows members to keep their current portfolio and leaves officials in the executive branch untouched.
    — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The nation's flood insurance program struggles to balance affordability, flood protection and cost to taxpayers, leaving millions vulnerable at a time when climate change is driving flood risk higher.
    — MICHAEL PHILLIS, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • You are allowed to consider criticism without handing it editorial control.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Frazier, who had become world champion during Ali’s absence, handed the ring-rusty Ali the first loss of his professional career.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • That behavior gives engineers a way to control how a material stores and releases electrical energy.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Most of those steps have been blocked by various courts, in part because the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, but provides no such power to the president.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In May, ownership of the stadium was transferred to a for-profit wholly owned by the university called Ryan Field Foundation LLC.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • An employee at the Mallard Pointe store in University City told CharlotteFive that its workers will likely be transferred to other locations but couldn’t offer specifics on where.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Reviewing an agent’s output, and deciding whether to trust it, is a different job, and one within reach of far more people.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Signatories included some of the same people who have been insisting that, in the absence of a coordinated safety effort, their technology can’t be trusted.
    — Ari Levy, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Once agents handled the assembly, those same people were making ranging decisions that had previously been delegated to gut feel.
    — Ali Alkhafaji, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Salesforce's latest survey this year shows that a growing number of consumers are delegating product search and filtering to AI agents, with usage of agentic search surging 200% year-on-year.
    — , CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • On the Epicenter podcast, Hanson nevertheless recommended futarchy to the Bitcoin developer community as an alternative form of governance.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • An Israeli security source confirmed to ABC News that the Israel Defense Forces recommended that a military aircraft be sent to repatriate Israeli passengers from Saudi Arabia.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Confide.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confide. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster