trust
C1Neutral to Formal
Definition
Meaning
A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
A legal arrangement where one party holds property or assets for the benefit of another; a financial institution that manages such arrangements; a responsibility or duty.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a noun, it can denote an abstract feeling, a concrete financial arrangement, or a moral duty. As a verb, it denotes placing confidence in someone/something, often implying vulnerability or expectation.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The legal/financial sense is equally common. 'Trust me' is ubiquitous. 'In trust' (for a minor) is standard. No significant usage differences.
Connotations
Generally positive in both, implying security and reliability. Can have negative connotations in specific contexts (e.g., 'breach of trust', 'blind trust').
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in both varieties, with near-identical usage patterns across registers.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
trust somebody (to do something)trust somebody with somethingtrust in somebody/somethingtrust that...trust somebody to do something (often ironic)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “take something on trust”
- “in somebody's trust”
- “trust to luck”
- “brain trust”
- “trust busting”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to reliability in partnerships, client relationships, and specific financial/legal entities (e.g., 'charitable trust', 'trust company').
Academic
Used in social sciences to discuss social capital and interpersonal relations; in law for the specific legal arrangement.
Everyday
Central to discussing personal relationships, reliability of information, and general confidence in people or systems.
Technical
In computing, refers to security protocols and authenticated relationships between systems or users (e.g., 'trust certificate').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I trust you'll complete the report by Friday.
- Can I trust you with this confidential information?
- She doesn't trust the government's figures.
American English
- I trust you to handle the client meeting.
- You can't trust what you read online.
- We trusted them with our investment.
adverb
British English
- The system is trustlessly executed via blockchain.
adjective
British English
- It's a trust fund set up for her grandchildren.
- He was appointed as a trust administrator.
- The charity is overseen by trust law.
American English
- She's a trust beneficiary.
- They set up a trust account for college expenses.
- It's a trust corporation.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I trust my teacher.
- He is a good friend. I trust him.
- Do you trust this map?
- You need to build trust with your new team.
- I don't trust the weather forecast; it's often wrong.
- Parents must earn their children's trust.
- The scandal led to a complete breakdown of trust between the partners.
- She was placed in a position of trust within the organisation.
- You shouldn't take everything you read on the internet on trust.
- The legal trust was established to manage the assets for future generations.
- His philosophical treatise explored the notion of trust as the bedrock of civil society.
- The protocol uses a web of trust model to verify digital identities.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a TRUe STatement – something you can believe in and rely on, which is the essence of trust.
Conceptual Metaphor
TRUST IS A BOND (strengthen/break the bond); TRUST IS A FOUNDATION (build/shake the foundation); TRUST IS A VALUABLE COMMODITY (earn/invest/lose trust).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating 'trust fund' as *фонд веры*. It is a specific legal/financial term: *трастовый фонд* or *доверительный фонд*.
- The phrase 'take on trust' means to believe without proof, not *брать на веру* in all contexts, but often *принимать на веру*.
- The noun 'trust' in a business context (e.g., 'anti-trust laws') refers to a large corporation or cartel, not abstract верность. Translate as *трест* or *монополия*.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect preposition: *'trust on somebody' (correct: trust in somebody OR trust somebody).
- Overusing 'believe' as a synonym. 'Believe' relates to acceptance of truth; 'trust' implies reliance and confidence in character/ability.
- Using 'trust' as a countable noun incorrectly: *'We have a strong trust' (better: We have a strong bond of trust / a great deal of trust).'
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'trust' used in its primary financial/legal sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily uncountable when referring to the abstract feeling (e.g., 'They have a lot of trust'). It is countable when referring to a specific legal/financial arrangement (e.g., 'He set up several trusts').
'Believe' relates to accepting that something is true or exists. 'Trust' implies confidence in someone's character, ability, or reliability, and often involves an element of reliance or vulnerability.
It means to accept something as true or reliable without demanding proof or evidence.
Yes, but only in specific compound nouns related to the financial/legal sense, such as 'trust fund', 'trust deed', 'trust law'. It is not a general adjective like 'trustful' or 'trustworthy'.
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