build trust — develop confidence (in someone or something)
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to gradually create a feeling of confidence and reliability in a person or relationship through actions, honesty, or time
Say it like a native
Textbook It is necessary to cultivate and establish a foundation of mutual trust.
Native It takes time to build trust.
'Cultivate and establish a foundation of mutual trust' is HR-speak; 'build trust' is plain.
Pattern: build trust (with/in/between someone)
In use
- It takes time to build trust with new colleagues.relationships
- In my opinion, it is important for teachers to build trust with their students so that they feel comfortable asking questions.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ We need to build a trust with clients.
✓ We need to build trust with clients.
Here 'trust' is uncountable — no 'a'.
Common collocations
build trust— with, between, gain, take time to
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'gain trust,' which focuses more on earning someone's trust, while 'build trust' is about the ongoing process.