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:
“I both embrace but betray certain rules,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Doing that would betray their ignorance of the show’s legacy, especially the five seasons that Allen captained.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
To believe that even good women might see their minds betray them so spectacularly would be to rescind control over an entire ideology that helps organize your world.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
Hrgovic, hardened by the kind of difficult nights Itauma had never experienced, simply stayed there and waited for the younger man's body to betray him.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
I join in and hope my voice doesn’t betray the anxiety coursing through me.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
But the production here betrays its economy, and the direction, by Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, remains earthbound, held down by mournful strings and devoid of color.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The facade of the building betrays no affiliation—neither hammer nor sickle.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
That narrative betrays a rookie mistake that’s known among statisticians as the “gambler’s fallacy.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Her eyes dart up and down in a manner that betrays rote memorization, not scholarship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 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
Instead, they feel burned out and betrayed as good jobs become harder to get and the milestones of adulthood slip away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Asked if this was because she felt she betrayed her trust, the mother replied: "Yes, she probably didn't want anyone to ever know and yes it did cause arguments."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
"David Rush abused his position and betrayed the public trust and should be held fully accountable for his actions," CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
This is right from the comics, but Hal’s best friend, his mentor, the person who trained him, betrayed everything he trusted and Hal had to put him away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
“The Count of Monte Cristo. Another great Dumas book. An innocent man is betrayed, accused of treason, imprisoned, and after many long years, escapes. Napoleon, jealous of General Dumas, sent him to jail.”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Some of his former supporters have accused him of betraying his principles.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
He said Simms did the right thing by not betraying his friendship with Shanahan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
But that refusal to risk vulnerability comes back to bite her when the daughter she turned herself inside out to spoil pulls a move reminiscent of Veda in “Mildred Pierce,” betraying Emma for vapid reasons.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Mr. Sheffi’s book describes a great American institution avidly betraying its principles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
You couldn’t be perfect enough to keep the world from betraying you.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
