traitor
Americannoun
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a person who betrays another person, a cause, or any trust.
-
a person who commits treason by betraying their country.
noun
Other Word Forms
- traitorous adjective
- traitorously adverb
- traitorship noun
- traitress noun
Etymology
Origin of traitor
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English from Old French from Latin trāditōr-, stem of trāditor “betrayer”; 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.
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
"But if he is a traitor, he doesn't deserve it," Walesa added, arguing that for the moment, "it's too early to judge".
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
We're introduced to Roth's rather official-looking English gentleman officer character who asks Duke Shelby - in secret - if he is willing to become a traitor.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
“I think it’s time that we abandon this disrespectful word malinchista to refer to someone as a traitor to Mexico,” said Roberto Pineda, 61, a cafe owner who enjoyed the spectacle.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026
In the Aurora, Benjamin Franklin Bache reprinted the old charge that Washington had been a traitor who conspired with the English government during the war.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
