entrust
en-TRUST
/ɪnˈtrʌst/
To assign the responsibility for doing something to someone; to put something into someone's care.
Implies a deep level of trust and vulnerability, as you are giving something valuable to another person with the expectation that they will protect it.
The story behind the word. A combination of the prefix 'en-' (to put into) and 'trust' (from the Old Norse 'traust', meaning confidence, security, or strong support). It literally means to place something directly into the safety of another's trust.
Word relationships
- consign: Consign is more formal and often implies a physical transfer of goods, whereas entrust focuses on the moral transfer of responsibility.
- delegate: Delegate is a professional term for distributing tasks, while entrust carries a warmer, more personal sense of faith and trust.
- withhold: To refuse to give or share something.
- reclaim: To take back something that was previously given or assigned.
Commonly confused with
- trust: Trust is a feeling or state of mind, while entrust is an action—the physical or formal act of giving something to someone based on that trust.
Word family
- entrustment (noun): The act of entrusting something to someone.
Collocations
- entrust with
- entrust to
- safely entrust
Example sentences
- "Before she passed away, the grandmother decided to entrust her precious journals to her eldest granddaughter." Family Legacy
- "The board of directors chose to entrust the struggling company's turnaround to a young, ambitious executive." Business Leadership
Memory hook
Look at the word: 'en-' (inside) + 'trust'. You are putting your valuable items 'inside' someone else's 'trust'. Put your trust inside someone when you entrust them.
When not to use
Do not use for casual assignments where trust is not a major factor (e.g., 'I entrusted him to buy milk' is overly dramatic).
Fun facts
- The word 'entrust' was first recorded in English in the early 17th century, during a period when English legal concepts of trusts and estates were rapidly developing.
Related words
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