as in to betray
to be unfaithful or disloyal to
knew what it felt like to be backstabbed by a so-called friend
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Recent Examples of backstab
One of them tried to backstab the hero, the other one helped raise the terrible, evil god that the hero had to defeat.
—
Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2025
Friends can lie, colleagues can backstab, anyone can die in any number of brutal ways.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Many of the women are status-obsessed and needy, quick to backstab other women to reach the top.
—Literary Hub
june 21, Literary Hub, 21 June 2023
Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2025
Friends can lie, colleagues can backstab, anyone can die in any number of brutal ways.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Many of the women are status-obsessed and needy, quick to backstab other women to reach the top.
—Literary Hub
june 21, Literary Hub, 21 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstab
betray
Verb
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What has unfolded in Minneapolis this past month betrays our most basic values as Americans.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
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The prominent mention of Frank, who died of disease in a Nazi concentration camp after her family’s hiding place was betrayed, adds to a growing discourse about whether ICE’s operations targeting immigrants in Minnesota can be compared to the Nazis’ tactics in rooting out Jews during the Holocaust.—
Philissa Cramer,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backstab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstab. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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