entrust

USAGE SUMMARY

'entrust' is a perfectly correct and usable word in written English.
You can use it when you want to express that you have trusted someone with something important. For example, "I entrusted my assistant with this critical project."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

What they mean is, if you entrust people with your stuff, they have to take care of it as least as well as they take care of their own.

The Guardian - Tech

It spares the ignorant and the dilatory from the consequences of their mistakes, while imposing few costs on those who genuinely prefer not to entrust their pension money to their employer's custody.

The Economist

Torsten Slok of Deutsche Bank says that the market capitalisation of global stockmarkets has risen by $5 trillion in the last three months.This ought to make end-investors, the clients who entrust fund managers with their savings, nervous.

The Economist

The jailing of some culprits would send a powerful message to the rest that they have a duty of care for the money shareholders entrust to them.But, just as it would be wrong to conclude that all, or even most, executives were culpable, so it would also be wrong to reject equity-based pay for executives just because it has been abused.

The Economist

A book-buyer might not entrust a company based in Seattle with his credit-card number had experience not taught him to trust the Amazon brand; an American might not accept a bottle of French water were it not for the name of Evian.

The Economist

The spectacle of an ordinary girl accused of extraordinary brutality riveted viewers who entrust their own children to hired help rather than to family members—relative strangers instead of strange relatives, in one commentator's words.But the trial itself, however mesmerising, proved tame compared with what followed.

The Economist

These increases entirely offset the reductions in the agricultural tax.Part of the central government's problem is that, for all its good intentions, its options are still hemmed in by the need to entrust implementation of its welfare schemes to a local bureaucracy it (probably rightly) regards as corrupt and unreliable.

The Economist

But he did entrust the key post of secretary of state (a kind of prime minister), to a canny ex-diplomat, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

The Economist

But they murmur prayers with cherubic devotion and life revolves around families and horses.Along the route children run gleefully for sweets thrown by the horsemen, and entrust to them letters to the Three Kings, asking for presents on Epiphany.

The Economist

Much of this will go on the creation of its own data cloud, supported by five data centres around the world, so that it does not have to entrust its data to anyone else.Partnerships with non-insurers are another way for conventional insurers to smarten up their act.

The Economist

She was referring to Mr Estrada's decision to sack his defence lawyers and, as he put it, entrust his fate to the people and to God.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "entrust" when emphasizing the faith and confidence you have in someone's ability to handle a task or responsibility.

Common error

Avoid using "entrust" in very informal contexts; opt for more casual alternatives like "trust" or "leave with" for everyday conversation.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "entrust" is as a transitive verb. It signifies the act of assigning responsibility or something of value to someone, based on a degree of confidence. As Ludwig AI indicates, it is a correct and usable term. Many examples in Ludwig show entrusting money, tasks, or responsibilities.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Formal & Business

30%

Science

10%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "entrust" is a transitive verb used to convey the act of assigning responsibility or something of value to someone, based on trust and confidence. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage in written English. It is most commonly found in News & Media and Formal & Business contexts, indicating a neutral to professional register. While it's a versatile term, it is more suited to formal situations. For everyday conversations, you should use more casual alternatives. The most authoritative sources that use the term are The Economist and The Guardian.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

delegate to

Focuses on the act of assigning responsibility or authority to someone.

place in charge of

Highlights the delegation of control to another person or group

assign to

Emphasizes the act of giving a task or responsibility.

commit to

Highlights the act of entrusting something for safekeeping or a specific purpose.

hand over to

Implies a transfer of possession or control.

consign to

Suggests formally handing over someone or something to another's care, often in shipping or warehousing.

cede to

Suggests a formal relinquishing of power or control.

rely on

Focuses on dependence and trust in someone's abilities.

turn over to

Implies giving responsibility or control to someone, sometimes reluctantly.

put in the hands of

Emphasizes the action of placing something under someone's control or responsibility.

FAQs

How can I use "entrust" in a sentence?

You can use "entrust" to indicate giving someone responsibility, like "I "entrust" you with this task" or "She "entrusted" her savings to the bank".

What are some alternatives to "entrust"?

Some alternatives to "entrust" are "delegate to", "assign to", or "commit to", depending on the specific context.

When is it appropriate to use "entrust"?

"Entrust" is appropriate in formal situations where you want to emphasize the confidence and responsibility given to someone. It's less common in casual conversation.

What's the difference between "entrust" and "trust"?

"Trust" is a more general term for believing in someone's reliability. "Entrust" implies a specific act of giving someone responsibility or something of value, relying on their trustworthiness.