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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
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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
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The Declaration constituted high treason against the Crown.
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Signing your name to something like this was considered treason.
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July 1 marks the anniversary of More’s 1535 show trial in Westminster Hall, at which Henry VIII’s onetime lord chancellor was found guilty of high treason for refusing to swear an oath recognizing the king as head of England’s church.
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Such a meeting, and the subsequent vote, would be tantamount to treason, as Simsbury citizens existed under the British crown.
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This is a guy who accused Trump of treason on social media and was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend a decade ago.
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A counterintelligence report from Mueller, who oversaw spy probes for 12 years as FBI director, implicating any of them in Russian intrigues to disrupt the 2016 presidential election could lead to charges of treason.
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She's written books on evolutionary biology, mind control, political treason, natural cancer cures and teen etiquette.
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The most serious charge that can be laid against a leaker is treason, which can be punishable by death.
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
TREASON Defined for English Language Learners
treason
playDefinition of treason for English Language Learners
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: 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
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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
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