BETRAY


Meaning of BETRAY in English

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

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.