Entrust with vs. Entrust to – Which is Correct?
Both “entrust with” and “entrust to” are correct, but they organize the sentence differently. Use “entrust someone with something” when emphasizing the person receiving responsibility. Use “entrust something to someone” when emphasizing the responsibility or item being handed over. The meaning remains essentially the same in both constructions in practice.
Entrust with or Entrust to: Which is Correct?
Both “entrust with” and “entrust to” are correct. The difference is grammatical emphasis and word order, not meaning.
Use entrust someone with something when the person receiving the responsibility comes immediately after entrust. Use entrust something to someone when the thing, duty, or responsibility comes immediately after the verb.
For example, these sentences express essentially the same idea:
- “The director entrusted Maya with the project.”
- “The director entrusted the project to Maya.”
The first construction highlights Maya as the trusted person. The second highlights the project as the responsibility being transferred. Both are standard in American English and are especially common in formal, professional, legal, and literary writing.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the person-first versus thing-first test:
- Person first: entrust someone with something.
- Thing first: entrust something to someone.
A useful mnemonic is: “With the person, to the person.” You entrust a person with a duty, but you entrust a duty to a person.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| entrust with | Verb phrase | Give someone responsibility for a person, object, or duty | The manager entrusted Carlos with the keys. |
| entrust to | Verb phrase | Give a person, object, or duty into someone’s care | The manager entrusted the keys to Carlos. |
How to Use Entrust With
Use entrust someone with something when the person or organization receiving responsibility is the direct object of entrust. The structure is:
entrust + person or organization + with + responsibility, object, or duty
This construction focuses attention on the trusted person. It is common when discussing assignments, confidential information, property, leadership, care, or professional duties. Because entrust already conveys confidence and responsibility, the phrase usually has a formal or serious tone.
Example 1: The editor entrusted Priya with the final review of the manuscript.
Example 2: The parents entrusted the caretaker with their child’s medical information.
Example 3: The board entrusted the new director with managing the organization’s finances.
Etymology of the Word Entrust
Entrust combines the prefix en-, meaning “put into” or “cause to be in,” with trust. The verb developed in English with the meaning “to place in someone’s care or confidence.” Its connection to trust explains why the word often implies both responsibility and confidence in another person.
How to Use Entrust To
Use entrust something to someone when the item, duty, information, or responsibility being transferred is the direct object of entrust. The structure is:
entrust + responsibility, object, or duty + to + person or organization
This construction emphasizes what is being placed in another person’s care. It is useful when the responsibility or object has already been mentioned, or when the writer wants to give that responsibility greater prominence.
Example 1: The museum entrusted the valuable painting to a specialist conservator.
Example 2: She entrusted her savings to a reputable financial adviser.
Example 3: The committee entrusted the investigation to an independent panel.
Etymology of the Word Entrust
The verb entrust comes from the idea of placing something “in trust.” The preposition to identifies the recipient of the trust, care, or responsibility. In modern English, entrust something to someone remains a formal way to describe transferring control or custody.
Related Concepts
Understanding object placement and prepositional patterns makes the difference between these two constructions easy to recognize.
- Ditransitive verbs: Some verbs can take a person and a thing as objects, either directly or through a preposition. Entrust follows this pattern in both “entrust someone with something” and “entrust something to someone.”
- Direct object: In “entrust someone with something,” the person is the direct object. In “entrust something to someone,” the thing or duty is the direct object.
- Prepositions: With connects a person to the responsibility they receive, while to identifies the person who receives an object or responsibility.
- Passive voice: Both patterns can become passive. For example, “Maya was entrusted with the project” and “The project was entrusted to Maya” are both correct.
Examples from Media and Literature
Writers in journalism, fiction, history, and professional communication use both patterns to show the transfer of responsibility or care.
- News reporting: A report may state that investigators entrusted the case to an independent agency, emphasizing the case being transferred.
- Historical writing: A biography might explain that a monarch entrusted a minister with governing a distant province, emphasizing the minister’s responsibility.
- Legal writing: A contract may describe records, assets, or confidential materials entrusted to an authorized custodian.
- Fiction: A novel may describe a character entrusting a family secret to a close friend, emphasizing the confidence placed in that friend.
- Film and television dialogue: A leader might say, “I’m entrusting you with this mission,” using the person-first pattern to stress confidence in the listener.
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence: with or to.
- The director entrusted Lena ___ the responsibility of training new employees.
- The director entrusted the training program ___ Lena.
- The family entrusted their legal documents ___ a secure records service.
- The family entrusted the records service ___ their legal documents.
- The committee entrusted the project ___ an experienced engineer.
Answer Key
- with — The person comes first: “entrusted Lena with the responsibility.”
- to — The thing comes first: “entrusted the training program to Lena.”
- to — The documents come first: “entrusted their legal documents to a secure records service.”
- with — The organization comes first: “entrusted the records service with their legal documents.”
- to — The project comes first: “entrusted the project to an experienced engineer.”
Entrust With Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Put in charge of | Give someone responsibility for managing a person, task, or organization |
| Assign | Give someone a particular duty or task |
| Rely on | Depend on someone to perform a duty or handle a matter |
| Charge with | Give someone responsibility for a specific duty or function |
Entrust To Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Commit to | Place something in someone’s care or custody |
| Delegate to | Transfer a duty or authority to another person |
| Hand over to | Transfer possession, control, or responsibility to someone |
| Place in the care of | Give something or someone to another person’s protection or supervision |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is it “entrust with” or “entrust to”?
Both are correct. Use “entrust someone with something” and “entrust something to someone.” The choice depends on whether the person or the thing comes first.
Question 2: Is “entrust with” more correct than “entrust to”?
No. Neither construction is more grammatically correct. “Entrust with” highlights the person receiving responsibility, while “entrust to” highlights the item or duty being transferred.
Question 3: Can I say “entrust something with someone”?
Usually, no. Standard English uses “entrust someone with something” or “entrust something to someone.” For example, write “She entrusted him with the documents” or “She entrusted the documents to him.”
Question 4: Is “entrusted” the past tense of “entrust”?
Yes. Entrust is a regular verb: entrust, entrusted, and entrusting. The final consonant is doubled before -ed and -ing.
Conclusion
Entrust with and entrust to are both correct expressions. Choose “entrust someone with something” when the trusted person comes first, and choose “entrust something to someone” when the responsibility or object comes first. Pro tip: using the correct pattern in professional writing demonstrates precision and helps protect your credibility.
