betray

betray
[[t]bɪtre͟ɪ[/t]]
betrays, betraying, betrayed
1) VERB If you betray someone who loves or trusts you, your actions hurt and disappoint them.

[V n] When I tell someone I will not betray his confidence I keep my word...

[V n] The President betrayed them when he went back on his promise not to raise taxes.

Derived words:
betrayer plural N-COUNT

She was her friend and now calls her a betrayer.

2) VERB If someone betrays their country or their friends, they give information to an enemy, putting their country's security or their friends' safety at risk.

[V n] They offered me money if I would betray my associates...

[V n to n] The group were informers, and they betrayed the plan to the Germans.

Derived words:
betrayer N-COUNT

`Traitor!' she screamed. `Betrayer of England!'

3) VERB If you betray an ideal or your principles, you say or do something which goes against those beliefs.

[V n] We betray the ideals of our country when we support capital punishment.

Syn:
renege on
Derived words:
betrayer N-COUNT

Babearth regarded the middle classes as the betrayers of the Revolution.

4) VERB If you betray a feeling or quality, you show it without intending to.

[V n] She studied his face, but it betrayed nothing...

[V n] He nodded his head instead of saying anything where his voice might betray him.

Ant:

English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Betray — Be*tray (b[ e]*tr[=a] ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Betrayed} ( tr[=a]d ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Betraying}.] [OE. betraien, bitraien; pref. be + OF. tra[ i]r to betray, F. trahir, fr. L. tradere. See {Traitor}.] 1. To deliver into the hands of an enemy by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • betray — (v.) late 13c., bitrayen mislead, deceive, betray, from BE (Cf. be ) + obsolete M.E. tray, from O.Fr. traine betrayal, deception, deceit, from trair (Mod.Fr. trahir) betray, deceive, from L. tradere hand over, from trans across (see …   Etymology dictionary

  • betray — [v1] be disloyal abandon, be unfaithful, bite the hand that feeds you*, blow the whistle*, bluff, break faith, break promise, break trust, break with, commit treason, cross, deceive, deliver up*, delude, desert, double cross, finger*, forsake, go …   New thesaurus

  • betray — [bē trā′, bitrā′] vt. [ME bitraien < be , intens. + traien, betray < OFr trair < L tradere, to hand over: see TREASON] 1. a) to help the enemy of (one s country, cause, etc.); be a traitor to b) to deliver or expose to an enemy… …   English World dictionary

  • betray — I (disclose) verb acknowledge, admit, air, aperire, avow, bare, bear witness against, bring into the open, bring to light, come clean, confess, declare, detegere, divulge, double cross, expose, give away, give utterance to, impart, inform, inform …   Law dictionary

  • betray — 1 mislead, delude, *deceive, beguile, double cross Analogous words: trap, entrap, snare, ensnare (see CATCH): *dupe, trick, befool, hoodwink, gull 2 discover, *reveal, disclose, divulge, tell Analogous words: manifest, evidence, evince, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • betray — ► VERB 1) act treacherously towards (a person, country, etc.) by revealing information to or otherwise aiding an enemy. 2) be disloyal to. 3) unintentionally reveal; be evidence of. DERIVATIVES betrayal noun betrayer noun. ORIGIN from Old French… …   English terms dictionary

  • betray */*/ — UK [bɪˈtreɪ] / US verb [transitive] Word forms betray : present tense I/you/we/they betray he/she/it betrays present participle betraying past tense betrayed past participle betrayed 1) a) if you betray your country, or if you betray someone who… …   English dictionary

  • betray — be|tray [bıˈtreı] v [T] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(friends)¦ 2¦(country)¦ 3¦(emotions)¦ 4¦(truth)¦ 5 betray your beliefs/principles/ideals etc ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: tray to betray (13 16 centuries), from Old French traïr, from Latin tradere; TRAITOR] …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • betray — be|tray [ bı treı ] verb transitive ** 1. ) if you betray your country, or you betray someone who needs your support, you deliberately do something that harms them or helps their opponents: In wartime many people accused of betraying their… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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