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
betray, bewrayverb
reveal unintentionally
"Her smile betrayed her true feelings"
betray, sellverb
deliver to an enemy by treachery
"Judas sold Jesus"; "The spy betrayed his country"
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"
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?"
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"
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
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.
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.
betrayverb
To violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which one is bound in honor not to make known.
betrayverb
To disclose or discover, as something which prudence would conceal; to reveal unintentionally; to bewray.
betrayverb
To mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to lead into error or sin.
betrayverb
To lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise of marriage) and then abandon.
betrayverb
To show or to indicate; -- said of what is not obvious at first, or would otherwise be concealed.
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
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
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.
Webster Dictionary
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
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
Betrayverb
to violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which one is bound in honor not to make known
Betrayverb
to disclose or discover, as something which prudence would conceal; to reveal unintentionally
Betrayverb
to mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to lead into error or sin
Betrayverb
to lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise of marriage) and then abandon
Betrayverb
to show or to indicate; -- said of what is not obvious at first, or would otherwise be concealed
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
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
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.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of betray in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of betray in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
Examples of betray in a Sentence
I define vulnerability as uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. With that definition in mind, let’s think about love. Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can’t ensure, who may stay in our lives or may leave without a moment’s notice, who may be loyal to the day they die or betray us tomorrow — that’s vulnerability.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Ralph Peters, Interview in American Heritage:
The shah always falls in the end, Saddam always turns on you, and the Saudis always betray you. If we support evil, the long-term price is almost always too high.
They talk of a man betraying his country, his friends, his sweetheart. There must be a moral bond first. All a man can betray is his conscience.
There are many kinds of smiles, each having a distinct character. Some announce goodness, and sweetness, others betray sarcasm, bitterness, and pride; some soften the countenance by their languishing tenderness, others brighten by their spiritual vivacity.
All a man can betray is his conscience.
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Translations for betray
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- خانَArabic
- здра́дзіць, здра́джвацьBelarusian
- измамвам, изневерявам, разкривам, предава́мBulgarian
- trairCatalan, Valencian
- zraditCzech
- forrådeDanish
- verratenGerman
- προδίδωGreek
- traicionarSpanish
- reetmaEstonian
- خیانت کردنPersian
- vietellä, pettää, kavaltaa, paljastaaFinnish
- trahirFrench
- בגדHebrew
- hallgatásHungarian
- դավաճանելArmenian
- svíkjaIcelandic
- rivelare, consegnare, tradireItalian
- 裏切る, 売る, 反逆Japanese
- 배반하다, 배신하다Korean
- prodo, trādōLatin
- išduotiLithuanian
- предаваMacedonian
- forrådeNorwegian
- onthullen, verraden, verspreken, bedriegenDutch
- zdradzić, wydaćPolish
- trair, revelarPortuguese
- afla, trăda, a îndruma greșit, descoperi, a induce în eroareRomanian
- преда́ть, выдава́ть, вы́дать, предава́тьRussian
- pronaći, zalutati, izdajnički, odati, zavesti, izdajstvo, ѝздати, obelodaniti, ìzdatiSerbo-Croatian
- zradiťSlovak
- izdatiSlovene
- bedra, bedraga, förråda, vilseledaSwedish
- ele vermek, ihanet etmekTurkish
- зра́джувати, зра́дитиUkrainian
- دھوکہ دیناUrdu
- phản bội, bội phảnVietnamese
- 背叛Chinese
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"betray." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 6 Jun 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/betray>.
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