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
Her father joined her in denouncing Trump as a threat to the republic, earning him enmity from fellow Republicans as a turncoat and accolades from even fierce Democrats as democracy's hero.
—
Susan Page, USA Today, 20 Nov. 2025
In his first interview since the tragic events in May, Cacique, a Spanish nickname given to a local boss, said the turncoats hoped to receive a reward for the capture of Robert Colina, whose alias was Pantera, Spanish for panther.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Swamp creatures, profiteers, unpatriotic turncoats, transactional voters in the Senate.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Sep. 2025
President Abraham Lincoln called on state militias at the outset of the Civil War to help in fighting Confederate turncoats to the South.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Susan Page, USA Today, 20 Nov. 2025
In his first interview since the tragic events in May, Cacique, a Spanish nickname given to a local boss, said the turncoats hoped to receive a reward for the capture of Robert Colina, whose alias was Pantera, Spanish for panther.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Swamp creatures, profiteers, unpatriotic turncoats, transactional voters in the Senate.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Sep. 2025
President Abraham Lincoln called on state militias at the outset of the Civil War to help in fighting Confederate turncoats to the South.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turncoat
traitor
Noun
-
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
After Kent’s resignation, Republican hawks denounced him as a kook and a traitor to the cause, without touching on the delicate question of why Trump appointed such a disreputable figure in the first place.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turncoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turncoat. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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