Definition of treason
1 : the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family
2 : the betrayal of a trust : treachery
Explore M-W
Examples of treason in a Sentence
He is guilty of treason.
reading a friend's diary without permission would have to be regarded as the ultimate act of personal treason
Recent Examples of treason from the Web
-
In a lengthy Facebook post last year, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
-
IPOB, for instance, saw a surge of popularity in late 2015 after its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was arrested for treason.
-
Opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who came in second in the election, was arrested and charged with treason after rejecting the result, claiming fraud and calling on supporters to protest.
-
Olena Gitlyanska, spokeswoman for Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU, said Monday that Yandex’s offices in Kiev and Odessa were searched as part of an investigation on treason charges.
-
This after former C.I.A. Chief John Brennan testifies that Russia can lure people unwittingly into treason.
-
Except Kang’s grandfather—he had been assigned to a different camp, his treason still unexplained.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'treason'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of treason
Middle English tresoun, from Anglo-French traisun, from Latin tradition-, traditio act of handing over, from tradere to hand over, betray — more at traitor
First Known Use: 13th century
TREASON Defined for English Language Learners
treason
playDefinition of treason for English Language Learners
-
: the crime of trying to overthrow your country's government or of helping your country's enemies during war
TREASON Defined for Kids
treason
playDefinition of treason for Students
: the crime of trying or helping to overthrow the government of the criminal's own country or cause its defeat in war
Law Dictionary
treason
playLegal Definition of treason
: the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of one's country or of assisting its enemies in war; specifically : the act of levying war against the United States or adhering to or giving aid and comfort to its enemies by one who owes it allegiance
Origin and Etymology of treason
Anglo-French treison crime of violence against a person to whom allegiance is owed, literally, betrayal, from Old French traïson, from traïr to betray, from Latin tradere to hand over, surrender
Learn More about treason
-
See words that rhyme with treason Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for treason Spanish Central: Translation of treason Nglish: Translation of treason for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of treason for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about treason
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up treason? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!