Link Centre Dictionary

betray

bet·ray

UK/bɪˈtɹeɪ/ US/bəˈtɹeɪ/ common

verb

1.

reveal unintentionally

  • “Her smile betrayed her true feelings”
Synonyms
2.

deliver to an enemy by treachery

  • “Judas sold Jesus”
  • “The spy betrayed his country”
Synonyms
3.

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”
Synonyms
4.

be sexually unfaithful to one''s partner in marriage

  • “She cheats on her husband”
  • “Might her husband be wandering?”
Synonyms
5.

give away information about somebody

  • “He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam”
Synonyms
6.

cause someone to believe an untruth

  • “The insurance company deceived me when they told me they were covering my house”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English betrayen, bitrayen (“to commit an act of treason against”), equivalent to be- + tray (“to betray”). 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.

Phrases

  • betray with a kiss
  • throw to the wolves
  • throw under the bus

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Word family

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.