traitor
Americannoun
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a person who betrays another person, a cause, or any trust.
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a person who commits treason by betraying their country.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of traitor
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English from Old French from Latin trāditōr-, stem of trāditor “betrayer”; see traditor
Explanation
A traitor says one thing but does another. If you promise a friend you'll keep his secret, but instead you blab it to everyone, you're a traitor. The word origin says it all: traditorem is the Latin word for "betrayer." Liar? Yes. Backstabber? Yes. True friend? Heavens, no. Traitors betray the trust of those who have faith in them or believe their promises. Traitor also applies to a person who betrays his country by committing treason: turning against his own government, perhaps by selling secret information.
Vocabulary lists containing traitor
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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The American Revolution - Introductory
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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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:
Wary of being called a traitor again, Elmo says he supports the U.S. soccer team.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
And, in killing Capt. Mayer, he underscored the idea that the traitor was inside the army—a concept that obviously was key in the Dreyfus affair.
From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2026
"They consider me a traitor," Maria, 48, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
Things did not go as planned, the host did not pick the 29-year-old to be a traitor, leading to a change of tactics.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
While the FBI and America viewed Sebold as a hero, the Germans branded him a traitor.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
He says Somalis fighting on the side of the Ethiopians were viewed as traitors for "betraying their country".
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
A total of 21 presenters, comedians, actors and musicians will try their hand at being good traitors and faithfuls in the show, which will air this autumn.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
The show — loosely based on the game Mafia — selects celebrities to be faithfuls and traitors, and the faithful must attempt to discover the traitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026
Another player and a support member with the Iranian women's football team have claimed asylum in Australia after being branded "traitors" at home over a pre-match protest, the government said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
When they finally arrived back in war-devastated Germany, instead of being welcomed home, they were called traitors.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
