Judas

noun

Ju·​das ˈjü-dəs 

1

a

: the apostle who in the Gospel accounts betrayed Jesus

b

: a son of James and one of the twelve apostles

2

: traitor

especially : one who betrays under the guise of friendship

3

not capitalized : peephole

called also judas hole, judas window

Synonyms

• traitor

Examples of Judas in a Sentence

He was called a Judas by the press.

she heatedly called her best friend a Judas after she found out her secrets had been spread all over town

Recent Examples on the Web

Halford said the day after Osbourne’s death, Judas Priest was booked to play a show. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025

Due to a scheduling conflict, Judas Priest was unable to perform at Sabbath's Back to the Beginning charity concert last month. —Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Stanfield earned an Oscar nomination in the best supporting category for his performance in 2021’s Judas and the Black Messiah and since then has starred in movies such as Haunted Mansion and Book of Clarence. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2025

His death was met with an outpouring of tributes from icons across music and entertainment, including Elton John, Metallica, Billy Idol and Judas Priest, among others. —Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Greek Ioudas, from Hebrew Yĕhūdhāh

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Judas

• Judas Iscariot
• Judas tree