What does BETRAY mean?

Definitions for BETRAY
bɪˈtreɪbe·tray

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word BETRAY.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. betray, bewrayverb

    reveal unintentionally

    "Her smile betrayed her true feelings"

  2. betray, sellverb

    deliver to an enemy by treachery

    "Judas sold Jesus"; "The spy betrayed his country"

  3. fail, betrayverb

    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"

  4. cheat on, cheat, cuckold, betray, wanderverb

    be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage

    "She cheats on her husband"; "Might her husband be wandering?"

  5. denounce, tell on, betray, give away, rat, grass, shit, shop, snitch, stagverb

    give away information about somebody

    "He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam"

  6. deceive, betray, lead astrayverb

    cause someone to believe an untruth

    "The insurance company deceived me when they told me they were covering my house"

Wiktionary

  1. betrayverb

    To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly; as, an officer betrayed the city.

  2. betrayverb

    To prove faithless or treacherous to, as to a trust or one who trusts; to be false to; to deceive; as, to betray a person or a cause.

  3. betrayverb

    To violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which one is bound in honor not to make known.

  4. betrayverb

    To disclose or discover, as something which prudence would conceal; to reveal unintentionally; to bewray.

  5. betrayverb

    To mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to lead into error or sin.

  6. betrayverb

    To lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise of marriage) and then abandon.

  7. betrayverb

    To show or to indicate; -- said of what is not obvious at first, or would otherwise be concealed.

  8. Etymology: From betrayen, betraien, equivalent to, from traïr, from tradere, present active infinitive of trado. In some senses, merged with or influenced by bewraien, bewreyen, see bewray. Compare also traitor, treason, tradition.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To BETRAYverb

    Etymology: trahir, Fr.

    If ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. 1 Chron. xii. 17.

    Jesus said unto them, the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. Matt. xvii. 22.

    For fear is nothing else but a betraying of the succours which reason offereth. Wisdom, xvii. 12.

    He was not to be won, either by promise or reward, to betray the city. Richard Knolles, History of the Turks.

    Be swift to hear, but be cautious of your tongue, lest you betray your ignorance. Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind.

    His abilities created in him great confidence; and this was like enough to betray him to great errours, and many enemies. Charles I .

    The bright genius is ready to be so forward, as often betrays itself into great errours in judgment. Isaac Watts.

    The Veian and the Gabian tow’rs shall fall,
    And one promiscuous ruin cover all;
    Nor, after length of years, a stone betray
    The place where once the very ruins lay. Joseph Addison, on Italy.

Wikipedia

  1. betray

    Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Often betrayal is the act of supporting a rival group, or it is a complete break from previously decided upon or presumed norms by one party from the others. Someone who betrays others is commonly called a traitor or betrayer. Betrayal is also a commonly used literary element, also used in other fiction like films and TV series, and is often associated with or used as a plot twist.

ChatGPT

  1. betray

    To betray is to act disloyally or unfaithfully towards someone or something by revealing confidential information, breaking trust, or failing to fulfill a duty. It can involve deception, treachery, or violation of someone's confidence or trust. Betrayal can also refer to revealing or exhibiting something unintentionally, like betraying one's emotions or feelings.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Betrayverb

    to deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly; as, an officer betrayed the city

  2. Betrayverb

    to prove faithless or treacherous to, as to a trust or one who trusts; to be false to; to deceive; as, to betray a person or a cause

  3. Betrayverb

    to violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which one is bound in honor not to make known

  4. Betrayverb

    to disclose or discover, as something which prudence would conceal; to reveal unintentionally

  5. Betrayverb

    to mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to lead into error or sin

  6. Betrayverb

    to lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise of marriage) and then abandon

  7. Betrayverb

    to show or to indicate; -- said of what is not obvious at first, or would otherwise be concealed

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Betray

    be-trā′, v.t. to give up treacherously: to disclose in breach of trust: to let go basely or weakly: to deceive the innocent and trustful, to seduce: to discover or show: to show signs of.—ns. Betray′al, act of betraying; Betray′er, a traitor, the seducer of a trustful girl. [Pfx. be-, and O. Fr. traïr (Fr. trahir)—L. tradĕre, to deliver up.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. betray

    To deliver perfidiously any place or body of troops into the hands of the enemy. To discover that which has been intrusted to secrecy.

Matched Categories

How to pronounce BETRAY?

How to say BETRAY in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of BETRAY in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of BETRAY in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of BETRAY in a Sentence

  1. Stephen Miller:

    Fundamentally, you're still going to have the same basic policy outcome for the country, these plainly-worded statements, made in the months leading up to and contemporaneous with the signing of the Executive Order, and, in many cases, made by the Executive himself, betray the Executive Order's stated secular purpose.

  2. Robert C. Pollock:

    Love God and trust your feelings. Be loyal to them. Don't betray them.

  3. Charles De Gaulle:

    In politics it is necessary either to betray one's country of the electorate. I prefer to betray the electorate.

  4. Isaac Bashevis Singer:

    When you betray somebody else, you also betray yourself.

  5. Peter Meijer:

    If we break those promises, if we betray those and abandon those who served alongside us, people are going to remember that, not only those Afghans we betray, but also, in any potential future conflict, we are going to be looked at as a country that doesn’t keep our promises, that will cut and run, that will turn our backs on our allies, that will, frankly, be a country that can’t be trusted.I think that will be incredibly detrimental to our national security in the long term.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for BETRAY

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"BETRAY." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/BETRAY>.

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