traitor

noun

trai·​tor ˈtrā-tər How to pronounce traitor (audio)
1
: one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty
2
: one who commits treason

Examples of traitor in a Sentence

She has been called a traitor to the liberal party's cause. He was a traitor who betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy.
Recent Examples on the Web Leslie’s father was among the traitors who gave up, took the money, packed his things and his daughter, and fled. Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 The first traitor to be found out was Big Brother's Dan Gheesling, who was booted in episode six. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Mar. 2024 That said, some traitors had been suspecting Parks for many days since Dan Gheesling, the first traitor to be banished in episode six, accused her on his way out. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Viewers know who the traitors are, but the rest of the cast, called Faithful, do not. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2024 The heathen is the enemy, but the heretic is something worse, a traitor. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 11 Feb. 2024 Mohn says his father was a federal employee for 20 years and refers to him as a traitor, calling for the death of all federal officials and attacking President Joe Biden's administration, the Black Lives Matter movement, the LGBTQ community and antifa activists. Tom Winter, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024 Wives, parents and groups struggling to save men from the war are attacked as traitors, designated as foreign agents and put on wanted lists. Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2024 The pair also shared that their relationship status made playing the game — where contestants try to guess who the pre-picked traitors are — difficult but also gave them comfort in experiencing it together. Ariana Quihuiz, Peoplemag, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'traitor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English traytour, from Anglo-French traitre, from Latin traditor, from tradere to hand over, deliver, betray, from trans-, tra- trans- + dare to give — more at date

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of traitor was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near traitor

Cite this Entry

“Traitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traitor. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

traitor

noun
trai·​tor ˈtrāt-ər How to pronounce traitor (audio)
1
: one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty
2
: one who commits treason
Etymology

Middle English traitre "traitor," from early French traitre (same meaning), from Latin traditor (same meaning), derived from tradere "to hand over, betray" — related to treason see Word History at treason

More from Merriam-Webster on traitor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!