Word
betray
Phoneticsbe·tray, stress on the second syllable
US/bɪˈtɹeɪ/
UK/bɪtɹˈeɪ/
Definition
v. to hurt someone who trusts you by doing something dishonest or helping their enemy. It can also mean to show a secret or a feeling that you were trying to hide.
v. to violate the confidence of a person or group by providing information or assistance to an adversary; alternatively, to reveal a secret or emotion unintentionally.
Examples
“He promised to keep the secret, but he decided to betray her.”
“The spy was caught after he tried to betray his country by selling classified documents to a foreign power.”
“Although she maintained a calm and professional exterior during the negotiation, a slight tremor in her voice began to betray her growing anxiety about the deal's potential collapse.”
Examples
simple
“He promised to keep the secret, but he decided to betray her.”
contextual
“The spy was caught after he tried to betray his country by selling classified documents to a foreign power.”
complex
“Although she maintained a calm and professional exterior during the negotiation, a slight tremor in her voice began to betray her growing anxiety about the deal's potential collapse.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “betray” in context.
Verb
01. betray a secret
“He promised never to betray a secret, yet he told the entire office by noon.”
verb + noun
02. betray and abandon
“The soldiers felt their leaders had betrayed and abandoned them on the battlefield.”
verb + and + verb
03. betray one's trust
“She felt that he had deeply betrayed her trust by sharing their private messages.”
verb + possessive + noun
Noun
04. tendency to betray
“His tendency to betray his colleagues for personal gain made him very unpopular.”
noun + infinitive
Adverb
05. unwittingly betray
“A slight tremor in his voice might unwittingly betray his nervousness to the audience.”
adv + verb
06. utterly betray
“The new policy utterly betrays the principles the party was founded upon.”
adv + verb
Usage
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, such as a person, a cause, or a secret.
Pitfall
He betrayed from his friend
He betrayed his friend
Betray is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without a preposition.
Real-World Examples
“We also see more betrayal here as Ulf (Tom Bennett) decides to betray Rhaenyra and double cross Ormund by burning the market town in spectacular fashion.” “You betray not only this community, but the national character.” Etymology
From Middle English betrayen, bitrayen (“to commit an act of treason against”), equivalent to be- + tray (“to betray”). further etymology information 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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