betray

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]
1.) ¦(FRIENDS)¦
to be disloyal to someone who trusts you so that they are harmed or upset
He felt that she had betrayed him.
betray sb to sb
What kind of man would betray his own sister to the police?
She had betrayed her parents' trust .
I would never betray a confidence (=tell a secret which someone has trusted me with) .
2.) ¦(COUNTRY)¦
to be disloyal to your country, company etc, for example by giving secret information to its enemies
people who betray their country for money
3.) ¦(EMOTIONS)¦ [not in progressive or passive]
to show feelings that you are trying to hide
= ↑give away
His voice betrayed his nervousness.
His face betrayed nothing (=showed no emotion) .
4.) ¦(TRUTH)¦
to show that something is true or exists, especially when it is not easily noticed
= ↑give away
The slightest sound might betray his presence .
The crumpled sheets betrayed the fact that someone had been sleeping there.
5.) betray your beliefs/principles/ideals etc
to stop supporting your old beliefs and principles, especially in order to get power or avoid trouble
>betrayer n

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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  • 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 [ 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

  • 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… …   English dictionary

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