betray
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
- betrayal noun
- betrayer noun
- prebetray verb (used with object)
- self-betraying adjective
- unbetraying adjective
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”; traitor
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.
Mariyana feels betrayed: "The state threw me to the roadside. I gave them my husband, and they left me alone with nothing."
From BBC
“We do not betray our country, do not surrender our independence, which is important, but we are constructive,” Zelensky told reporters Thursday.
Moving away from in-person visits “betrays Commissioner Bisignano’s promise that the agency will ‘meet beneficiaries where they are,’” said Max Richtman, president and chief executive of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
From MarketWatch
Ronaldo's response was to give an interview to Piers Morgan on TalkTV in which he complained, as Salah has effectively done now, that he was "betrayed by the club".
From BBC
He posted chats on social media showing ChatGPT supporting the notion that his paranoia was justified and his mother had betrayed him.
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.
