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
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:
Detained since late January 2025, he described his time already spent behind bars as “extraordinarily difficult” and said, “I did not betray my country.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
You can't go against your values, nor can you betray others.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
But as the heat climbed above 91 degrees, Sinner’s body began to betray him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Recent pullbacks in hot chip stocks betray some nervousness around how far the artificial-intelligence trade can propel the market.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
I wasn’t going to betray the only truth I’d ever known in my life.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Expecting Scotland to 'go for it' like mad dogs in a meathouse betrays a serious lack of understanding of the weather here.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
The Wrap said "at times it betrays its amateur beginnings with clunky plotting."
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Her eyes dart up and down in a manner that betrays rote memorization, not scholarship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Queer desire, femininity, and lipstick form an intrepid triptych in the form of pop star Chappell Roan, whose persona betrays both her rural Missouri provenance and the glittery legacy of drag performance.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
“A Queen Mother who betrays the Council and goes against the abosom! How horrendously hypocritical.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
I can see why your friend felt betrayed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Sturgeon has denied any knowledge of his crimes and said she was "deceived, betrayed and lied to" by Murrell.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Frankie’s voice was steady and practiced, but his hands betrayed him.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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
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
I worried about betraying him, even though I barely knew him.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
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.
