trust

From Middle English trust (“trust, protection”). Long considered a borrowing from Old Norse traust (“confidence, help, protection”), itself from Proto-Germanic *traustą, but the root vocalism is incompatible, and so it is considered a reflex of an unattested Old English *trust, from a rare zero-grade proto-Germanic variant of the same root also attested in Middle High German getrüste (“host”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deru- (“be firm, hard, solid”).^[1] Akin to Danish trøst (“comfort, solace”), Saterland Frisian Traast (“comfort, solace”), West Frisian treast (“comfort, solace”), Dutch troost (“comfort, consolation”), German Trost (“comfort, consolation”), Gothic trausti (“alliance, pact”). Doublet of tryst. More at true, tree.

• enPR: trŭst, IPA^(key): /tɹʌst/, [tɹʌst], [tɹɐst], [t͡ʃɹ-]

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• (Northern England) IPA^(key): /tɹʊst/
• Rhymes: -ʌst

trust (countable and uncountable, plural trusts)

1. Confidence in or reliance on some person or quality.

   He needs to regain her trust if he is ever going to win her back.

   to lose trust in someone

   build up trust

   a relationship built on mutual trust

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter I, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:

     taking things upon trust.

   • 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes:

     O ever-failing trust / In mortal strength!

2. Dependence upon something in the future; hope.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 3:4:

     Such trust have we through Christ.

3. Confidence in the future payment for goods or services supplied; credit.

   I was out of cash, but the landlady let me have it on trust.

4. That which is committed or entrusted; something received in confidence; a charge.
5. That upon which confidence is reposed; ground of reliance; hope.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 71:5:

     O Lord God, thou art my trust from my youth.

6. (rare) Trustworthiness, reliability.
7. The condition or obligation of one to whom anything is confided; responsible charge or office.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:

     I do profess to be no less than I seem; to serve him truly that
     will put me in trust

   • 17th century, John Denham, Of Justice

     Reward them well, if they observe their trust.

8. (law) The confidence vested in a person who has legal ownership of a property to manage for the benefit of another.

   I put the house into my sister's trust.

9. (trust law) An arrangement whereby property or money is given to be held by a third party (a trustee), on the basis that it will be managed for the benefit of, or eventually transferred to, a stated beneficiary; for example, money to be given to a child when he or she reaches adulthood.
10. A group of businessmen or traders organised for mutual benefit to produce and distribute specific commodities or services, and managed by a central body of trustees.
11. (computing) Affirmation of the access rights of a user of a computer system.

• (confidence in a person or quality): belief, confidence, faith
• (hope): expectation, hope

• distrust
• mistrust
• untrust
• wantrust

trust (third-person singular simple present trusts, present participle trusting, simple past and past participle trusted)

1. (transitive) To place confidence in, to rely on, to confide in.

   We cannot trust anyone who deceives us.

   • 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     If I live to see it, I will never trust his word after.

   • October 5, 1751, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler No. 162

     He that trusts without reserve will at last be deceived.

2. (intransitive, with in) To have faith in; to rely on for continuing support or aid.

   In God We Trust (official US motto)

   • 1967, Sherman Brothers (lyrics and music), “Trust in Me (The Python's Song)”, in The Jungle Book:

     Trust in me, just in me / Shut your eyes and trust in me

3. (transitive) To give credence to; to believe; to credit.
   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     Trust me, you looke well.

4. (transitive) To hope confidently; to believe (usually with a phrase or infinitive clause as the object)

   I trust you have cleaned your room?

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 John 1:12:

     I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 13:18:

     We trust we have a good conscience.

5. (transitive) to show confidence in a person by entrusting them with something.
   • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe: A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1676, →OCLC, (please specify the page number):

     Whom, with your power and fortune, sir, you trust, Now to suspect is vain.

6. (transitive) To commit, as to one's care; to entrust.
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     Merchants were not willing to trust precious cargoes to any custody but that of a man-of-war.

7. (transitive) To give credit to; to sell to upon credit, or in confidence of future payment.

   Merchants and manufacturers trust their customers annually with goods.

8. (intransitive, followed by to) To rely on (something), as though having trust (on it).

   to trust to luck

   Having lost the book, he had to trust to his memory for further details.

9. (archaic, transitive) To risk; to venture confidently.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     [Beguiled] by thee to trust thee from my side.

10. (intransitive) To have trust; to be credulous; to be won to confidence; to confide.
    • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 236, column 2:

      More ſhould I queſtion thee, and more I muſt, / Though more to know, could not be more to truſt: […]

    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 12:2:

      I will trust and not be afraid.

11. (archaic, intransitive) To sell or deliver anything in reliance upon a promise of payment; to give credit.

• distrust
• mistrust

trust

1. (originally African-American Vernacular, slang) Ellipsis of trust me.

   You'll get your money back bro, trust.

   • 2019 August 15, @ASDem, Twitter‎^[2], archived from the original on 28 September 2023:

     P.S. Capitalizing MINORITY really doesn't help your cause bruh. Trust.

trust (comparative more trust, superlative most trust)

1. (obsolete) Secure, safe.
2. (obsolete) Faithful, dependable.
3. (law) of or relating to a trust.

• “trust”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “trust excl.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

• strut, sturt

Borrowed from English trust.

• (France, Quebec) IPA^(key): /tʁœst/

• Audio:

  (file)

trust m (plural trusts)

1. a trust (a group of businessmen or traders)

• “trust”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Unadapted borrowing from English trust.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtrast/, /ˈtrɛst/, /ˈtrøst/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ast, -ɛst

trust m (invariable)

1. trust (group of people)

• trust di cervelli (“brains trust”)

• truste, troste, trist, trest

Long considered a borrowing from Old Norse traust (“confidence, help, protection”), itself from Proto-Germanic *traustą, but the root vocalism is incompatible, and so it is considered a reflex of an unattested Old English *trust, from a rare zero-grade proto-Germanic variant of the same root also attested in Middle High German getrüste (“host”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deru- (“be firm, hard, solid”).

• IPA^(key): /trust/

trust (uncountable)

1. confidence, reliance

• English: trust
• Yola: thrist

• “trust, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Unadapted borrowing from English trust.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtrast/
• Rhymes: -ast
• Syllabification: trust

trust m inan (related adjective trustowy)

1. (business) trust (group of businessmen or traders)

• trust in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Borrowed from French trust.

trust n (plural trusturi)

1. trust (a group of businessmen)

Borrowed from English trust.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɾast/ [ˈt̪ɾast̪], /ˈtɾust/ [ˈt̪ɾust̪], /ˈtɾost/ [ˈt̪ɾost̪]
• Rhymes: -ast, -ust, -ost
• Syllabification: trust

trust m (plural trusts)

1. (finance) trust

• “trust”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28