■ noun
1》 firm belief in someone or something.
↘acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation.
2》 the state of being responsible for someone or something: a man in a position of ~.
3》 Law an arrangement whereby a person (a ~ee) holds property as its nominal owner for the good of one or more beneficiaries.
↘a body of ~ees.
↘an organization managed by ~ees.
4》 chiefly N. Amer. a large company that has or attempts to gain monopolistic control of a market.
5》 W. Indian or archaic commercial credit.
6》 archaic a hope or expectation.
■ verb
1》 believe in the reliability, truth, or ability of.
↘( ~ someone with ) have the confidence to allow someone to have, use, or look after.
↘( ~ someone/thing to ) commit someone or something to the safe keeping of.
↘( ~ to ) place reliance on (luck, fate, etc.).
2》 hope or expect (used as a polite formula): I ~ that you have enjoyed this book.
3》 archaic allow credit to.
Phrases
~ someone to —— it is characteristic or predictable for someone to act in the specified way.
Derivatives
~able adjective
~ed adjective
~er noun
Origin
ME: from ON traust , from traustr 'strong'; the verb from ON treysta .