confide
part of speech
verb (confide, confides, confided, confiding)
meaning for a pupil
1) To confide in someone is to tell them a secret or a private worry because you trust them. tree →
2) To confide something is to say it privately, as a secret. tree →
3) (formal) To confide something to someone is to give it into their care. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and PSHE lessons, children confide in a trusted adult, friend or teacher about problems like bullying; it shows trust. Safety lessons say: if someone hurts you, confide in a grown-up you trust. Phrases: «confide in», «confided that», «a confidant».
examples
- She confided in her best friend about the bullying. tree →
- You can always confide in your teacher if something is wrong. tree →
- He confided that he was scared of the dark. tree →
- Grandma confided a family secret to me. tree →
- I don't confide in people who spread gossip. tree →
- The king confided the treasure to his loyal knight. (formal) tree →
note
Regular verb: confided, confiding. Say «confide in someone», not «confide to someone» for the trusting sense. Related: «confidence», «confidential» (secret), «confidant» (a person you confide in). Safety note: secrets that hurt someone should be told to a trusted adult, even if you promised.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «confide» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.