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
In the pantheon of Bond villains, turncoats from MI6 have often served as some of the best baddies.
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Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
The other senators are immediately abuzz, and Mothma has to be smuggled out of the spherical senate chamber to avoid abduction by a turncoat.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
The new synthetic has Bishop’s genuine care for humanity, until he’s corrupted by a synthetic modeled (very directly) after Ash, turning him into a turncoat android more in line with the prequels’ David (Michael Fassbender).
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2025
The other senators are immediately abuzz, and Mothma has to be smuggled out of the spherical senate chamber to avoid abduction by a turncoat.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
The new synthetic has Bishop’s genuine care for humanity, until he’s corrupted by a synthetic modeled (very directly) after Ash, turning him into a turncoat android more in line with the prequels’ David (Michael Fassbender).
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turncoat
traitor
Noun
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As security officer of the Maginot, Morrow abandons his post to kill the traitor — allowing the ship to continue its collision course into Earth.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
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Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo, who has been actively lobbying against Brazil in Washington, have both been branded as traitors by Lula supporters.—
HUSSEIN KALOUT,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turncoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turncoat. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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