backstab
Americanverb (used with object)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of backstab
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:
"You don't know who to trust, and when you do trust someone they backstab you," he says.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2022
A backstab in Demon’s Souls sounds sharp and gives me a small shiver of excitement up my spine each time.
From The Verge ● Feb. 18, 2022
It was right place, right time or they had the guts enough to backstab their friends.
From Slate ● Dec. 8, 2021
"I can't backstab the people who support me."
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2021
“I do. But what does getting people to backstab each other have to do with making a good movie?”
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
He lied and backstabbed and took advantage of loopholes, and he argued — with a telegenic brashness — that this made him smart.
From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2019
Back in high school, before being mellowed by parenthood and the Golden State, Amanda backstabbed and undermined and boyfriend-stole.
From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2012
There’s a lot less backstabbing and reality nonsense that you saw in the earlier seasons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
In nonviolent settings, it leads to mean-girl-style ostracism or political backstabbing around the corporate watercooler.
From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2026
John Lavelle exudes a perfumed whiff of modern camp in his portrayal of Orsini-Rosenberg, the fussy, backstabbing director of the Imperial Opera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
This was not the case with “Boston Rob” Mariano, a wildcard mid-season addition who immediately set about backstabbing everyone in his way, including other Traitors.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
After all, she came from a long line of backstabbing, power-hungry rivals.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
