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
Of the 24 cast members who make up Survivor 50, there are plenty whose skills set them up as a huge threat, either for their strategic minds, their willingness to backstab, or their likeability factor.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstab
betray
Verb
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Sean is tested when his longtime friend and employee Jorge (Trey Santiago-Hudson) finds out about all of Sean’s changes and feels betrayed — Sean’s new sous chef gig means the end of the food truck, which Jorge was relying on.—
Ashley Boucher,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
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Our tiny hero, Catclaw, is a young moth and a member of the Dreamkins, a noble moth clan that has gone into exile after its former master betrayed the clans’ queen.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backstab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstab. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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