Word
betray
Meanings
to be disloyal to someone or to break their trust
to reveal a secret or private information
to unintentionally show a feeling or fact through behavior or appearance
Definition
To betray someone is to be disloyal or to break their trust.
To betray means to act against someone who trusts you, often by being disloyal, revealing secrets, or supporting an opposing side. It can also mean to show something unintentionally, such as fear or excitement, through your voice, face, or actions. In both cases, the idea is that something expected to be hidden or protected is given away.
Examples
- After years of teamwork, he refused to betray his colleagues by leaking their plans to a competitor.
- I won’t betray your confidence, even if the story would make me look important.
- Her calm tone was convincing, but her shaking hands betrayed her nerves.
- They felt she had betrayed them when she publicly supported the opposing proposal without warning.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse "betray" with "deceive"; "betray" emphasizes broken loyalty or trust, not just tricking someone.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.