backstabbing
noun
back·stab·bing
ˈbak-ˌsta-biŋ 
: betrayal (as by a verbal attack against one not present) especially by a false friend
Synonyms
Examples of backstabbing in a Sentence
She was hurt by her former friend's backstabbing.
a reality TV show that seems to have raised backstabbing to an art form
Recent Examples on the Web
The struggle for the new casino is more trouble than Ryan could have imagined, bringing up old mob ties, unknown family history, backstabbings, battles of ego, and plenty of misunderstandings from the rumor mill among Vegas’s major players.
—
Theo Faherty, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
For those who love Survivor but don't care for the backstabbing, Alone is your best alternative.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023
For those who love the thrill of competition but don't enjoy the backstabbing of Survivor or Big Brother, The Amazing Race is for you.
—Emily Smith, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
Between boardroom backstabbings, hostile takeovers, and cantankerous, aging CEOs, life on Wall Street likely imitates HBO hit Succession every day.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 24 Jan. 2024
With a cast of iconic reality show villains, the craziest challenges, and the promise of backstabbing, alliances, and manipulation, this competition series will redefine the genre and become the guilty pleasure for reality show lovers nationwide.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 13 Sep. 2023
Fans can expect more backstabbing, scheming, and dragon riding and slaying as the show sets the stage for the long awaited Dance of the Dragons, the famous battle that GoT fans know eventually lead to the Targryens losing their grip on the Iron Throne.
—Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 27 Dec. 2023
The irony of this shouldn’t be lost, as Nintendo’s infamous backstabbing of Sony in the Nineties directly led to the launch of the PlayStation, dethroning the Big N in Machiavellian fashion for a decade until the Wii waggled their way back into relevance.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2023
Survivor 41's Danny McCray and Survivor: Cagayan's Sarah Lacina withstood the backstabbing and climbing across moving trucks on pegs to be The Challenge: USA's first winners.
—Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2023
Theo Faherty, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
For those who love Survivor but don't care for the backstabbing, Alone is your best alternative.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2023
For those who love the thrill of competition but don't enjoy the backstabbing of Survivor or Big Brother, The Amazing Race is for you.
—Emily Smith, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
Between boardroom backstabbings, hostile takeovers, and cantankerous, aging CEOs, life on Wall Street likely imitates HBO hit Succession every day.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 24 Jan. 2024
With a cast of iconic reality show villains, the craziest challenges, and the promise of backstabbing, alliances, and manipulation, this competition series will redefine the genre and become the guilty pleasure for reality show lovers nationwide.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 13 Sep. 2023
Fans can expect more backstabbing, scheming, and dragon riding and slaying as the show sets the stage for the long awaited Dance of the Dragons, the famous battle that GoT fans know eventually lead to the Targryens losing their grip on the Iron Throne.
—Olivia Truffaut-Wong, refinery29.com, 27 Dec. 2023
The irony of this shouldn’t be lost, as Nintendo’s infamous backstabbing of Sony in the Nineties directly led to the launch of the PlayStation, dethroning the Big N in Machiavellian fashion for a decade until the Wii waggled their way back into relevance.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2023
Survivor 41's Danny McCray and Survivor: Cagayan's Sarah Lacina withstood the backstabbing and climbing across moving trucks on pegs to be The Challenge: USA's first winners.
—Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 17 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backstabbing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near backstabbing
Cite this Entry
“Backstabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backstabbing. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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