traitor

noun

trai·​tor ˈtrā-tər 

1

: one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty

2

: one who commits treason

Synonyms

• apostate
• backstabber
• betrayer
• double-crosser
• double-dealer
• Judas
• quisling
• recreant
• serpent
• snake
• turncoat

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

But that guy was a traitor, feeding information (false, in this case) to the Empire, so Saw shoots him, not Wilmon! —Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2025

The American president is a traitor to the democratic world. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025

If that isn’t pressure enough, the women are faced with a mysterious traitor who emerges, years later, as the three friends are torn apart. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2025

Questioning Tulsi Gabbard about her appointment as the director of National Intelligence, Republican senators begged her to agree with them that Edward Snowden was a traitor for leaking sensitive documents and then fleeing to Moscow. —David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025

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

Phrases Containing traitor

• turn traitor

Rhymes for traitor

• cater
• crater
• frater
• freighter
• gator
• grater
• greater
• hater
• krater
• later
• plater
• prater

Kids Definition

traitor

noun

trai·​tor ˈtrāt-ər 

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