Betray (Verb)
Meaning 1
Reveal unintentionally; "Her smile betrayed her true feelings".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- Her nervous laughter betrayed her true fear as she stood at the edge of the roller coaster.
- His hesitation betrayed his uncertainty about making a decision that would impact the entire company.
- The faint sparkle in her eyes betrayed her excitement about the surprise party being planned for her.
- His unease betrayed his inexperience as he stepped into the boxing ring for the first time.
- Her shaking hands betrayed her anxiety as she prepared to give her first public speech.
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Meaning 2
Deliver to an enemy by treachery; "Judas sold Jesus"; "The spy betrayed his country".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The double agent betrayed her country by revealing classified information to the enemy.
- The corrupt official's actions betrayed the trust the public had placed in him.
- The company's former employee betrayed their confidentiality agreement by leaking sensitive data.
- The traitorous soldier betrayed his comrades during the soldiers' darkest hour of the war.
- He regretted his decision to betray his best friend's secret, realizing too late the damage it would cause.
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Meaning 3
Be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage; "She cheats on her husband"; "Might her husband be wandering?".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- His actions betrayed the trust his wife had in him, as he secretly began an affair with a coworker.
- She felt her husband's infidelity would betray their years of happy marriage.
- He wondered if his wife's betrayal was just a rumor or the harsh reality.
- Their argument stemmed from her fear that he might betray her in the same way his father had betrayed his mother.
- The discovery of his lover's existence felt like a stab in the back, and she knew he had betrayed their vows.
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Meaning 4
Give away information about somebody; "He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- She couldn't take it anymore and decided to betray her friend's trust by telling the truth about her infidelity.
- The whistleblower chose to betray the company's confidence by exposing the corrupt activities to the media.
- His sibling felt he had betray them by telling their parents about the party they had secretly hosted.
- The confidential informant eventually betrayed the suspect by revealing crucial details about their whereabouts.
- The former employee's decision to betray their previous employer led to a massive scandal involving insider trading.
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Meaning 5
Disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake; "His sense of smell failed him this time"; "His strength finally failed him"; "His children failed him in the crisis".
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- Her normally reliable sense of direction betrayed her in the unfamiliar woods.
- The normally robust engine of her old car betrayed her on the long drive, leaving her stranded.
- Their investment plan betrayed them with a significant loss due to the economic downturn.
- His confidence betrayed him during the critical presentation, causing him to stumble over his words.
- His usually sharp intuition betrayed him when he trusted the scammer with his personal information.
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Meaning 6
Cause someone to believe an untruth; "The insurance company deceived me when they told me they were covering my house".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- The company's advertisement deceived consumers by suggesting the product was a health supplement, when in fact it had little to no nutritional value.
- He felt betrayed when his best friend deceived him about being in a relationship with his sister.
- The travel agency deceived tourists with fake reviews and low-quality images of the resort.
- She deceived herself into thinking her ex still had feelings for her despite his clear disinterest.
- The food labeling deceived buyers as it claimed to be gluten-free but actually contained a significant amount of gluten.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
- Pose
- Fool
- Play False
- Gull
- Put On
- Pull The Wool Over Someone's Eyes
- Bamboozle
- Cod
- Put One Over
- Personate
- Hoodwink
- Put One Across
- Befool
- Slang
- Take In
- Lead By The Nose