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
Eventually they squeezed into a hovel before being discovered by a turncoat cabinet member.
From Salon ● Apr. 8, 2024
That outreach has earned her a reputation among communities of color as an advocate — and among some of her fellow officers as a turncoat, the lawsuit claims.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
Outraged to discover Lydia’s betrayal, Joyce convenes her yogi neighbor and turncoat sister.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 5, 2023
For this he is branded a turncoat, within two years of the end of the war is being referred to by Southern newspapers as “the most hated man in the South.”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
