betray
Americanverb (used with object)
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betrays,
present (3rd person singular)
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betrayed,
past participle, past
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betraying
present participle
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to deliver or expose to an enemy by treachery or disloyalty.
Benedict Arnold betrayed his country.
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to be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling.
to betray a trust.
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to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to.
to betray one's friends.
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to reveal or disclose in violation of confidence.
to betray a secret.
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to reveal unconsciously (something one would preferably conceal).
Her nervousness betrays her insecurity.
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to show or exhibit; reveal; disclose.
an unfeeling remark that betrays his lack of concern.
- Synonyms:
- uncover, demonstrate, manifest, display
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to deceive, misguide, or corrupt.
a young lawyer betrayed by political ambitions into irreparable folly.
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to seduce and desert.
verb
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to aid an enemy of (one's nation, friend, etc); be a traitor to
to betray one's country
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to hand over or expose (one's nation, friend, etc) treacherously to an enemy
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to disclose (a secret, confidence, etc) treacherously
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to break (a promise) or be disloyal to (a person's trust)
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to disappoint the expectations of; fail
his tired legs betrayed him
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to show signs of; indicate
if one taps china, the sound betrays any faults
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to reveal unintentionally
his grin betrayed his satisfaction
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to reveal one's true character, intentions, etc
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to lead astray; deceive
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euphemistic to seduce and then forsake (a woman)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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betrayalnoun
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betrayernoun
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prebetrayverb (used with object)
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self-betrayingadjective
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unbetrayingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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betraysimple
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betrayssimple
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have betrayedperfect
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has betrayedperfect
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am betrayingprogressive
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are betrayingprogressive
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is betrayingprogressive
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have been betrayingperfect progressive
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has been betrayingperfect progressive
Past
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betrayedsimple
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had betrayedperfect
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was betrayingprogressive
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were betrayingprogressive
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had been betrayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of betray
First recorded in 1200–50; from Middle English bitraien, equivalent to bi- be- + traien, from Old French trair, from Latin trādere “to betray”; see traitor
Explanation
When you betray someone or something, you provide information whether you mean to do it or not, like the loud growling of your stomach that betrays your hunger or the secret you tell about your friend that betrays her trust. When you betray someone or something, you reveal something, like a secret or your true feelings. You may betray your impatience, for example, if you sit at your desk tapping your fingers. There is another meaning of betray that is just the opposite: lie. You betray your friend if you pretend that something is true just to trick him into doing what you want. In this case, betray means the same thing as deceive.
Vocabulary lists containing betray
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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.
See Examples For:
Schwartz only won Senate confirmation on Wednesday, after a hearing in which she pledged to “never betray the science” on which CDC policies are based.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Importantly, when ignited it didn’t produce smoke, which could betray soldiers’ positions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It will never betray you, will always be loyal to you, and will love you unconditionally."
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
"We need to make sure we do not betray that trust and we need to deliver for the people of Sunderland and for Washington and Houghton," he said.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
And though she didn’t dare look at him while she told him her truth, her moth watched his sleeping face for any flicker of expression that might betray disgust.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
The Wrap said "at times it betrays its amateur beginnings with clunky plotting."
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
But the language used throughout the filing to describe potential confusion betrays their fears.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
Her eyes dart up and down in a manner that betrays rote memorization, not scholarship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
The film may initially present Man-su as a sympathetic family man trying to make ends meet, but Lee quickly subverts those sentiments once Man-su’s methodical process betrays no sense of remorse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
"I'm not hungry," I say, even as my stomach betrays me with a growl.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
While others burned brightly for a short time before being betrayed by their bodies, he was a picture of consistency through the early days of his career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The tough-guy tears betrayed how much it hurt Donald to let go, how much he was going to miss playing the violent, taxing game that has been the focal point of his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
A stunned Emma wonders who could have betrayed her so intimately, and why.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
For many years Robroyston was mostly farming land, and best known as the location where William Wallace was betrayed and handed over to English soldiers in 1305.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
But Audrey had acted like Jenna had betrayed us.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
He said Simms did the right thing by not betraying his friendship with Shanahan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The contacts didn’t show Xiao was betraying his commitments, Gannon replied, arguing the employees in question were lower-level staff, who may have operated without Xiao’s knowledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Over a century ago, when the Supreme Court helped usher in Jim Crow, Justice John Marshall Harlan took his colleagues to task for betraying the promise of Reconstruction.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
He says Somalis fighting on the side of the Ethiopians were viewed as traitors for "betraying their country".
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
She attempted to rise; she could not have done so without betraying the agitation which mastered her at sight of him, so she fell back upon the stool, only exclaiming, “Why, Robert!”
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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.
