Trust is the glue that holds relationships together, whether with friends, family, or colleagues. Idioms about trust capture this essential quality in vivid, relatable ways. They’re like little pearls of wisdom passed down through generations, helping us express faith, reliability, or even caution.
In this post, I’ve gathered 30 unique idioms for trust, each with its meaning, an example sentence, and alternative ways to say it. I’ve also included a fun, interactive quiz at the end to test your knowledge. Let’s dive in and explore these expressions that make our language so rich and human!
30 Idioms for Trust
1. Take Someone at Their Word
Meaning: To believe what someone says without needing proof.
Example: I took Sarah at her word when she promised to finish the project by Friday.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Trust someone’s promise, believe someone outright, take someone’s word for it.
2. Put Your Faith in Someone
Meaning: To trust someone to do something reliably or correctly.
Example: I put my faith in John to lead the team while I was away.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Rely on someone, count on someone, bank on someone.
3. Give Someone the Benefit of the Doubt
Meaning: To trust someone’s intentions despite uncertainty or lack of evidence.
Example: I wasn’t sure about his excuse, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Assume the best, take someone’s side, trust provisionally.
4. Take Something with a Grain of Salt
Meaning: To be skeptical about something and not fully trust it.
Example: His sales pitch sounded too good to be true, so I took it with a grain of salt.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Be wary of, don’t fully believe, question the truth of.
5. In Good Hands
Meaning: To be under the care or responsibility of someone trustworthy.
Example: With Maria managing the event, we’re in good hands.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Well looked after, in safe hands, under reliable care.
6. Bank On Someone
Meaning: To rely on someone with confidence.
Example: You can bank on Lisa to deliver the report on time.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Count on someone, depend on someone, trust in someone.
7. Keep Faith with Someone
Meaning: To remain loyal and trustworthy to someone.
Example: Even during tough times, she kept faith with her business partner.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Stay true to, remain loyal to, honor trust with.
8. Have Confidence In
Meaning: To trust in someone’s abilities or character.
Example: I have confidence in our team to win the championship.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Believe in, trust in, rely on.
9. Put Your Trust in Someone
Meaning: To rely on someone to act responsibly or honestly.
Example: I put my trust in the doctor to make the right diagnosis.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Depend on, rely on, have faith in.
10. Swear By Something/Someone
Meaning: To have complete trust in something or someone’s reliability.
Example: I swear by this mechanic; he always fixes my car perfectly.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Vouch for, fully trust, rely heavily on.
11. Take Someone into Your Confidence
Meaning: To trust someone with private or sensitive information.
Example: She took me into her confidence and shared her plans for the company.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Confide in, share secrets with, trust with private matters.
12. On the Level
Meaning: To be honest and trustworthy.
Example: I trust him; he’s always on the level with me.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Straightforward, honest, above board.
13. Lay Your Cards on the Table
Meaning: To be open and honest, building trust through transparency.
Example: Let’s lay our cards on the table and discuss our true intentions.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Be upfront, come clean, be transparent.
14. Stand By Someone
Meaning: To support and trust someone, especially in difficult times.
Example: No matter what, I’ll stand by my best friend.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Support someone, stick with someone, back someone up.
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15. Keep Someone’s Confidence
Meaning: To maintain trust by not revealing someone’s secrets.
Example: I knew I could trust her to keep my confidence about the surprise party.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Honor someone’s trust, keep a secret, stay discreet.
16. Trust Someone’s Judgment
Meaning: To rely on someone’s decision-making ability.
Example: I trust her judgment when it comes to hiring new staff.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Rely on someone’s wisdom, believe in someone’s decisions, have faith in someone’s choices.
17. Take Someone’s Word as Gospel
Meaning: To unquestioningly believe what someone says.
Example: I took his advice as gospel and followed it without hesitation.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Treat as absolute truth, believe without question, take as fact.
18. Have Someone’s Back
Meaning: To support and protect someone, showing trust in them.
Example: Don’t worry, I’ve got your back during the presentation.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Stand up for, support, be there for.
19. Give Someone Your Word
Meaning: To make a promise that can be trusted.
Example: I gave her my word that I’d be there for the meeting.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Promise sincerely, pledge, vow.
20. Hold Someone in High Regard
Meaning: To trust and respect someone deeply.
Example: I hold my mentor in high regard for her wisdom and integrity.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Respect greatly, admire, value highly.
21. Put Stock In
Meaning: To trust or believe in something’s value or truth.
Example: I put stock in her advice because she’s always been reliable.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Believe in, trust in, value.
22. Vouch For Someone
Meaning: To confirm someone’s trustworthiness or reliability.
Example: I can vouch for Tom; he’s never let me down.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Endorse, back up, guarantee.
23. Take It on Faith
Meaning: To believe something without proof, based on trust.
Example: I took it on faith that he would return the borrowed money.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Trust blindly, believe without evidence, accept on trust.
24. Above Board
Meaning: To be honest and trustworthy in dealings.
Example: The contract was completely above board, so I trusted it.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Honest, transparent, straightforward.
25. Count On Someone
Meaning: To trust someone to be reliable.
Example: I can always count on my sister to help me out.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Depend on, rely on, trust in.
26. Keep Your Word
Meaning: To fulfill a promise, proving trustworthiness.
Example: He kept his word and delivered the package on time.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Honor your promise, stick to your pledge, follow through.
27. Trust Someone Implicitly
Meaning: To have complete, unquestioning trust in someone.
Example: I trust my best friend implicitly with my deepest secrets.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Fully trust, believe without doubt, rely completely on.
28. Bet Your Bottom Dollar
Meaning: To be absolutely certain or trust something completely.
Example: You can bet your bottom dollar that she’ll win the competition.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Be certain, have no doubt, trust completely.
29. Hold Someone to Their Word
Meaning: To expect someone to keep their promise, trusting their integrity.
Example: I trusted him and held him to his word about repaying the loan.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Expect accountability, demand they keep their promise, trust their commitment.
30. A Safe Pair of Hands
Meaning: Someone who is reliable and can be trusted to handle things well.
Example: With Emma in charge, the project is in a safe pair of hands.
Alternative Ways to Say It: Trustworthy person, reliable individual, dependable hands.
Why Idioms for Trust Matter
These idioms aren’t just colorful phrases; they reflect how we navigate relationships and build connections. Trust is universal, but expressing it through idioms adds a layer of warmth and relatability to our conversations. Whether you’re vouching for a friend or taking someone’s word as gospel, these expressions help us communicate trust in ways that resonate deeply.
Test Your Knowledge with Our Quiz
Ready to see how well you’ve grasped these idioms? Try our interactive Exercise to Practice quiz! It’s a fun way to test your understanding and make these idioms stick. You’ll answer 15 questions, and at the end, you’ll get your score, pass/fail status, and a review of the correct answers.