# judas

/ˈdʒudəs/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/judas
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a traitor

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

a person who betrays a friend or someone who trusts them.

For teachers: a person who is treacherous or deceitful, especially one who betrays a friend or an ally.

- He felt like a Judas after he told his friend's secret to the whole school.
- The political defector was branded a Judas by his former colleagues, who felt his sudden shift in loyalty was a calculated betrayal.

### 2. biblical figure

noun · CEFR B2

the man in the Bible who was one of the twelve apostles and betrayed Jesus.

For teachers: the disciple who, according to the New Testament, betrayed Jesus to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver.

- In the painting of the Last Supper, Judas is shown holding a bag of silver.
- Theological debates often center on whether Judas Iscariot acted out of free will or as a necessary instrument of divine providence.

### 3. a peephole

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · British English

a small hole in a door that lets you look through to see who is outside.

For teachers: a small aperture or peephole in a door, typically in a prison or a heavy gate, used for observation.

- The guard looked through the judas to check on the prisoner.
- The heavy oak door was equipped with a small iron-grated judas, allowing the porter to inspect visitors before unbolting the gate.

Usage: Often used in the compound form 'judas-hole'.

## Examples

- He felt like a judas after telling his friend's secret to the boss.
- The political party struggled to recover after a high-ranking member acted as a judas by leaking private documents to the press.
- In the high-stakes world of corporate espionage, one must always be wary of a potential judas within the inner circle who might sell proprietary data to a competitor.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.