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Definition of "betray" []

  • To give aid or information to an enemy of; commit treason against: betray one's country. (verb-transitive)
  • To deliver into the hands of an enemy in violation of a trust or allegiance: betrayed Christ to the Romans. (verb-transitive)
  • To be false or disloyal to: betrayed their cause; betray one's better nature. (verb-transitive)
  • To divulge in a breach of confidence: betray a secret. (verb-transitive)
  • To make known unintentionally: Her hollow laugh betrayed her contempt for the idea. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "betray" in a sentence
  • "What it again seems to betray is the notion that fiction is much like film, only a little bit different, affording the opportunity to make explicit what in LaBute's films is implicit."
  • "The specific language of the ad uses the word betray, rather than traitor."
  • "She didn't look as nervous as he felt, nor did her expression betray what she was thinking as she approached him."