v. [ad. L. confīdĕre to have full trust or reliance, f. con- intensive prefix + fīdĕre to trust.]
1. intr. To trust or have faith; to put or place trust, repose confidence in (formerly on, to).
a. 1455. Houlate, lviii. In the we confide.
1634. W. Tirwhyt, trans. Balzac’s Lett., 104. In a time when the most credulous have enough to doe to confide on publique faith.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., IV. (1843), 150/1. They desired that there might be such a person made Lieutenant of the Tower, ‘as they could confide in,’ (an expression that grew from that time to be much used). Ibid., 155/2. The expression they used, when they had a mind to remove any man from a place … ‘that they could not confide in him.’
1648. H. G., trans. Balzac’s Prince, 256. [They] confide more in this … then to the number of their Armies.
1657. Hobbes, Govt. & Soc., vi. § 12. 82. Some other whom they confide in for protection.
1700. S. Parker, Six Philos. Ess., 64. It were not safe with Epicurus to confide wholly on the Senses.
1748. Anson’s Voy., III. ii. 315. The stoutest cables are not to be confided in.
1832. Ht. Martineau, Life in Wilds, viii. 101. He confided in the captains’ parting promise.
1858. J. Martineau, Studies Chr., 184. He who most confides in the instructor will learn the sacred lesson best.
2. absol. To have faith or trust; to have confidence; to be assured or confident.
1654. Earl Monm., trans. Bentivoglio’s Warrs Flanders, 114. Nor could the Flemish ever confide, till they saw their Country free of Foreigners.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XVI. 453. O prudent Princess! bid thy soul confide.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., II. 570. Judge before Friendship, then confide till Death.
3. with obj.-clause: To trust, believe, have confidence, or feel assured (that). ? Obs.
1632. Sir T. Hawkins, trans. Matthieu’s Vnhappy Prosper., 27. Confiding the Iudge would be his Protector.
1743. Shenstone, Wks., III. 100. I sincerely confide, that … no time shall extenuate our mutual friendship.
1788. V. Knox, Winter Even., II. VI. xi. 290. The sum which I have left, will, I confide … supply a decent competency.
1800. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), IV. 324. They confide that the next election gives a decided majority in the two Houses.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., xxx. Confiding that it would have the support of Langcale.
4. trans. To impart as a secret, to communicate in confidence (to a person).
1735. Ld. G. Lyttelton, Pers. Lett., lxxix. (1744), 322. Thou art the only one to whom I dare confide my Folly.
1847. Emerson, Repr. Men, Montaigne, Wks. (Bohn), I. 341. Men do not confide themseves to boys, or coxcombs, or pedants, but to their peers.
1872. Black, Adv. Phaeton, xvii. 238. An opportunity of confiding all her perplexities to her friend.
5. To entrust (an object of care, a task, etc.) to a person, with reliance on his fidelity or competence.
1861. Buckle, Civiliz. (1873), II. viii. 546. The execution of the plan was confided to Aranda.
1862. Ruskin, Munera P., (1880), 37. Its amount may be known by examination of the persons to whom it is confided.
