bə̇.ˈtrā, bē.- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English betrayen, from be- + trayen to betray, from Old French traïr, from Latin tradere to betray, deliver — more at traitor
transitive verb
1. : mislead: as
a. : to lead astray (as into error, sin, or danger)
a peaceful man betrayed by anger into violence
their heroes are still victims betrayed by circumstances into criminal follies that lead to disasters — Malcolm Cowley
b. : to lead astray and abandon (a girl or woman) : seduce
a girl betrayed in her teens by a much older man
2. : to deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud in violation of trust
betray a citadel by opening its gates in the night to enemy forces
3. : to prove faithless or treacherous to : fail or desert especially in time of need
betray his own people by going over to the enemy
use the poor as a stepping-stone to power, and then to betray them — Encounter
4. : reveal: as
a. : reveal unintentionally (as something more prudently concealed) : disclose
even his best writings betray a limited imagination and a sour view of life
b. : to show or indicate (as something not obvious on the surface)
only a tension of mouth muscles betrayed his uneasiness
his best columns betray … the philosophical bent of his mind — John Mason Brown
c. : to disclose in violation of confidence
betray government secrets
intransitive verb
: to prove false
when lovely woman stoops to folly and finds too late that men betray — Oliver Goldsmith
Synonyms: see deceive , reveal