as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
the plot of the story revolved around the gangster's relentless determination to learn the identity of the turncoat
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Recent Examples of turncoat
Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
Many countries have a great turncoat in their history.
—Matthew J. Friedman, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
This is all happening because the person who’s supposed to be leading the charge against the spread of communicable disease is something of a turncoat, instead working to increase our vulnerability to these pathogens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
This is less a chant and more a fireworks show celebrating the permanent expungement of all turncoats and pests.
—Stephen Kearse, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
Many countries have a great turncoat in their history.
—Matthew J. Friedman, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
This is all happening because the person who’s supposed to be leading the charge against the spread of communicable disease is something of a turncoat, instead working to increase our vulnerability to these pathogens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
This is less a chant and more a fireworks show celebrating the permanent expungement of all turncoats and pests.
—Stephen Kearse, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turncoat
traitor
Noun
-
His brother Jun-ho is still searching for the island and is unaware there’s a traitor in his group.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
Young-il’s brother is still searching for the island — but a traitor on the boat is preventing the detective from reaching the game site.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turncoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turncoat. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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