turncoat
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of turncoat
First recorded in 1550–60; origin uncertain; possibly from the practice hiding one's allegiance by turning one's coat inside out and covering one's party colors, military insignia, or heraldic badges; turn + coat
Explanation
Someone who betrays his country during a war would be called a turncoat. If you suddenly start supporting a rival sports team, you might be called a turncoat, too. A turncoat is a traitor. Turncoat comes from the ancient practice of wearing a badge or pin on one's coat signifying the party or leader you supported. By "turning your coat" you quite literally hid your allegiance to others. Often used interchangeably with defector, and while they are similar they are not quite the same. Turncoat is worse: it implies no possibility of any good or honest motive. Defector can at least sometimes have a neutral or even positive implication.
Vocabulary lists containing turncoat
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Internment
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But that’s not quite right either: Pointing a finger at Tortora—as a dozen or so turncoat Camorristas will ultimately do—comes with benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Better to keep a turncoat close than let him run wild.
From Salon ● May 29, 2023
The main suspect behind the poisoning of a Russian intelligence turncoat in London in the 2000s was given a seat in Russia’s Parliament.
From New York Times ● Apr. 9, 2023
Outraged to discover Lydia’s betrayal, Joyce convenes her yogi neighbor and turncoat sister.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 5, 2023
It was an offer only a turncoat could accept.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
