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 of traitor

• betrayer
• snake

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

Having been labeled traitors in Iran and following reports that some of their families had been threatened, the players then sang before their other two matches. —Don Riddell, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026

Maybe not the most famous biopic but a quite effective one, with Paul Muni as the 19th-century French writer who speaks up for a Jewish captain tagged as a traitor. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026

But what Skubal didn’t expect was the social media backlash from USA fans, who have been comparing him to infamous American traitor Benedict Arnold. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026

Lee, who claimed to have a friend with close ties to Yan, the mother of Eileen, argued against the traitor narrative. —Noah Furtado, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Mar. 2026

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