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:
You can't go against your values, nor can you betray others.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
"It will never betray you, will always be loyal to you, and will love you unconditionally."
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
To do otherwise is to betray the covenant between California taxpayers and the UC system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
"Respect me, respect Maya, and understand that not always one has to betray the other in order for a relationship to end."
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
My scent would hang heavily in the air and betray my presence to any animal nearby.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
The Wrap said "at times it betrays its amateur beginnings with clunky plotting."
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Yet his message today to the world betrays Iran’s harsh reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
“It is reckless and betrays both common sense and public trust.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
"It betrays your class. It betrays your origin. All over the world people are trying to reclaim accents and dialects that have been lost."
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
She betrays no emotion as she says this.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Trump has told advisers that he is angry with Pirro and felt betrayed by the court filing, the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
Would he have felt betrayed once he found out his true identity?
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
He said Simms did the right thing by not betraying his friendship with Shanahan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Some accused her of betraying Davide Sanclimenti, who she later won the show with, while others praised her confidence.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Mr. Sheffi’s book describes a great American institution avidly betraying its principles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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
She died without betraying her brother, fulfilling a promise she had made him many years before, the day she first took him to school.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
