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
"It will never betray you, will always be loyal to you, and will love you unconditionally."
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Yet lurching drops in some recent sessions betray investors’ underlying jitters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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
“I sense much worry in you,” Nehemia said suddenly, “and I hear much that you do not say. You never voice any of your troubles, though your eyes betray them.”
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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
The tension running through the campaign betrays a regime unsettled by the prospect of life after an octogenarian president.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026
On the ride over, Hawley betrays no nerves about people seeing the first episode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2025
His expression is calm, but he’s angry—the terseness in his voice betrays him.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
The singer has has rarely spoken or betrayed reactions to testimony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
A stunned Emma wonders who could have betrayed her so intimately, and why.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Sturgeon has said she is innocent of any wrongdoing and that she was "deceived, misled and betrayed" by Murrell.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
I can see why your friend felt betrayed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
“I would have you know, children, that I never betrayed you. I did exactly as I swore I would: I helped your little princess free her grandmother—no more, no less.”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
He said Simms did the right thing by not betraying his friendship with Shanahan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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
They told her she would die lonely, called her selfish, and accused her of "betraying her country".
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
“How do we know they’re not Evelyn’s people, trying to trick us into betraying her?”
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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.
