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
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Maybe not the most famous biopic but a quite effective one, with Paul Muni as the 19th-century French writer who speaks up for a Jewish captain tagged as a traitor.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
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Fears have been growing for the fate of the women after they were branded traitors by state media last week, for failing to sing the national anthem before their opening match of the Asian Cup, which is being held in Australia.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Turncoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turncoat. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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