entrust
B2Formal to neutral.
Definition
Meaning
To assign responsibility or care of something important to someone, trusting they will handle it properly.
To place something valuable (a task, secret, object, person) into another's safekeeping or authority, implying confidence and a transfer of duty.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Often implies a formal or serious responsibility. The object entrusted is typically valuable or important. The construction 'entrust someone with something' is more common than 'entrust something to someone'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling is identical.
Connotations
Slightly more formal in both varieties, but equally common.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both corpora; no notable variation.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] entrusts [Object: thing] to [Recipient: person][Subject] entrusts [Recipient: person] with [Object: thing]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Entrust to someone's care”
- “Entrust with the keys to the kingdom”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used for delegating authority, projects, or sensitive data. 'The board entrusted her with the merger negotiations.'
Academic
Used in discussions of ethics, governance, or historical responsibility. 'The study entrusted participants with confidential data.'
Everyday
Used for personal tasks, childcare, or pet-sitting. 'We entrusted our neighbours with watering the plants.'
Technical
Rare in hard sciences; appears in computing/security regarding data access. 'The system entrusts encryption keys to a secure module.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I shall entrust the logistics to my assistant.
- They were entrusted with safeguarding the royal artefacts.
American English
- We entrusted the contractor with the remodel.
- The law entrusts that power to the states.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I entrust my dog to my sister when I travel.
- The teacher entrusted the pupil with the class pet.
- He entrusted his friend with the secret.
- They entrusted the organisation of the event to a professional.
- The director entrusted her with the company's most sensitive client portfolio.
- Historical documents were entrusted to the archive for preservation.
- The committee was entrusted with the unenviable task of restructuring the department.
- She felt profoundly honoured to be entrusted with such a pivotal strategic role.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'ENable with TRUST' – you enable someone by giving them a responsibility based on trust.
Conceptual Metaphor
Responsibility is a valuable object that can be handed over. Trust is a container for safety.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'доверять' (to trust/confide) for simple trust; 'entrust' always involves an object/task. Use 'поручать' or 'вверять'.
- Do not confuse with 'intrust' (archaic spelling).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'I entrusted him my car.' Correct: 'I entrusted him with my car.' OR 'I entrusted my car to him.'
- Using with a that-clause (e.g., 'entrust that he will do it') – incorrect.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'entrust' correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are correct but in different structures: 'entrust something TO someone' or 'entrust someone WITH something'.
Yes, but it means to place that person into another's care (e.g., 'They entrusted their child to the nanny'), not to make them responsible for a task.
The related noun is 'entrustment'. However, more common phrasing uses 'trust' (e.g., 'a position of trust').
It is neutral to formal. In casual speech, people might use 'give the responsibility to' or 'put in charge of', but 'entrust' is perfectly natural in writing and formal speech.