What does "betray" mean?
To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly.
Betray
/bɪˈtɹeɪ/ verb
verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly.
- Grammar: betray is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: double-cross, sell, sell out, abuse.
- Useful contrasts: championing, conspiring, harbor.
- Usage evidence: A few words may betray a man's true character.
How to use "betray"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "betray" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "betray" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "betray" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "betray" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "betray" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "double-cross" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "betray", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly. transitive
"An officer betrayed the city."
- 2 give away information about somebody wordnet
- 3 To prove faithless or treacherous to, as to a trust or one who trusts; to be false to; to deceive. transitive
"to betray a person or a cause"
- 4 cause someone to believe an untruth wordnet
- 5 To violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which one is bound in honor not to make known. transitive
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 reveal unintentionally wordnet
- 7 To disclose (a secret, etc.) in deliberate violation of someone’s confidence. transitive
"The dead leap at the throat, destroy The meaning of the day; dark forms Have scaled your walls, and spies betray Old secrets to amorphous swarms."
- 8 disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake wordnet
- 9 To disclose or indicate, for example something which prudence would conceal; to reveal unintentionally. transitive
"Though he had lived in England for many years, a faint accent betrayed his Swedish origin."
- 10 deliver to an enemy by treachery wordnet
- 11 To mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen; to lead into error or sin. transitive
- 12 be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage wordnet
- 13 To lead astray; to seduce (as under promise of marriage) and then abandon. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"A few words may betray a man's true character."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "betray"?
Common synonyms include: double-cross, sell, sell out, abuse, apostatize, assfuck.
How do you use "betray" in a sentence?
A few words may betray a man's true character.
How do you pronounce "betray"?
Pronounced /bɪˈtɹeɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English betrayen, bitrayen (“to commit an act of treason against”), equivalent to be- + tray (“to betray”). further etymology information Middle English bi- is from Old English be- (“be-”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”), from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near, by”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“at, near”). Compare also traitor, treason, tradition. The modern sense “to disclose, discover, reveal unintentionally” is due to influence from or merger with English bewray (“to reveal, divulge”), which is similar in sound and meaning. The similarity with German betrügen, Dutch bedriegen, from Proto-West Germanic *bidreugan (“to betray, deceive”), is coincidental.