1
as in crosses
to be unfaithful or disloyal to
childhood friends of movie stars often betray them by telling their secrets to the supermarket tabloids
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reveals
to make known (something abstract) through outward signs
his face betrayed his exasperation with his nosy neighbor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tempts
to lead away from a usual or proper course by offering some pleasure or advantage
she was betrayed by a false show of friendship into covering up the crime
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of betrays
Below, Akinnuoye-Agbaje breaks down the climactic episode, explaining why Alamo decides to let Rue kill herself and why Bishop betrays him.
—
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 June 2026
This seemingly innocent proposal betrays how little some politicians think of American seniors.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 24 May 2026
Don’t skip eye cream The under-eye area is often the first place that betrays a late night or an early alarm.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Sometimes a small chink in your camouflage betrays you to a wary tom.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
After Sugar betrays her, Barbara cuts her friend off for decades, despite missing her deeply.
—Isle McElroy, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
But even this was a poor comparison for sumo’s place in the racial politics of Japan today; boxing, after all, was brought to America from England, while sumo, like Kabuki, is one of Japan’s few expressive institutions whose folklore betrays little trace of outside influence.
—Joshua Hunt, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Low-key and reserved on and off the course, the 23-year-old rarely betrays emotion.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
The silliness betrays the seriousness.
—J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 1 June 2026
This seemingly innocent proposal betrays how little some politicians think of American seniors.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 24 May 2026
Don’t skip eye cream The under-eye area is often the first place that betrays a late night or an early alarm.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Sometimes a small chink in your camouflage betrays you to a wary tom.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
After Sugar betrays her, Barbara cuts her friend off for decades, despite missing her deeply.
—Isle McElroy, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
But even this was a poor comparison for sumo’s place in the racial politics of Japan today; boxing, after all, was brought to America from England, while sumo, like Kabuki, is one of Japan’s few expressive institutions whose folklore betrays little trace of outside influence.
—Joshua Hunt, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Low-key and reserved on and off the course, the 23-year-old rarely betrays emotion.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
The silliness betrays the seriousness.
—J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for betrays
Verb
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Dolci attributes the growth to a content mix that crosses language lines rather than relying on any single source.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
1 June 2026
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What determines whether someone crosses that threshold?—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Consumers want environments that actively support their health, wellbeing and longevity, the study reveals, leading to communities with preventative medicine facilities on site and personalized health protocols incorporated into the spaces.—
Jamie Gold,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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But in the front, a tie waist just barely reveals swim bottoms underneath, which provide ample coverage while walking around the pool or beach.—
Claire West,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Doue and Dembele also drop into midfield, while Kvaratskhelia is his usual destructive self off the left, rounding off a nightmare of rotations and raw running power that tempts defences out of their shape before smashing through.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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Frida is the most significant secondary figure — the person who tempts Gabrielle away from her trajectory, making her pause and ponder roads not taken.—
Jon Frosch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Not a dashboard that displays spend.—
Satyabrat Chowdhury,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Throughout the store, ovular product displays nod to the works of two of Eldridge’s favorites, Barbara Hepworth and Brâncuși.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Intrigued, the Duke secretly seduces Gilda, breaks her heart and destroys Rigoletto’s life.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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The victim of his sacrifice is Gretchen, a virgin whom Faust seduces and abandons in his devilish reverie, and who kills their illegitimate child.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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An electronic display shows the closing KOSPI index inside the lobby of the Korea Exchange in Seoul, South Korea, on June 1, 2026.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
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But blacklisting a company for maintaining civil rights protections, and then banning the military deployment of its AI hours later, shows that the federal government in this instance enables the harm that regulation is meant to prevent.—
Michael Gregory,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Verb
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In an underdeveloped twist, Clark persuades his skeptical assistant, Kat (Lukita Maxwell), and her more gullible boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett), to enter the Backrooms with him, armed with Bobby’s camcorder.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
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The product being optimised is your attention, and the people refining that optimisation have budgets, behavioural scientists, and years of data on what persuades you.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The project demonstrates how advances in artificial intelligence and machine vision can be combined with precision motion-control systems to automate highly specific tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
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Lestat, now a contemporary rock star who writes songs about living openly undead, demonstrates his contempt for Interview With the Vampire by jeering at audience members who might have read it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Betrays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/betrays. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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