betray
verb
What betray means
To hurt someone who trusts you by doing something disloyal, such as breaking a promise or telling their secret.
He betrayed his best friend by telling her secret.
I felt betrayed when she lied to me.
Test yourself
Five questions about betray
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does betray mean?
When you betray someone, you break their trust: they believed you were on their side, but you did something that hurt them.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
Your best friend promised to keep your secret, but she told the whole class. She ___ you.
Your friend broke a promise and told your secret, so she broke your trust. Doing something disloyal to a person who trusts you is to betray them.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
The players felt ___ when their captain secretly signed for their biggest rivals.
The players trusted their captain, and he joined the team they hate without telling them, so they felt betrayed. Reassured and flattered are pleasant feelings.
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Question 4 of 5Opposite
Which phrase is the opposite of betray?
To betray someone is to be disloyal to them, so the opposite is to be loyal to them: to stay on their side and keep their trust.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses betray correctly?
Betray takes a direct object with no preposition: betray someone or betray their trust. The noun is betrayal, so a betray is wrong.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Betray in a sentence
5 more examples of betray in everyday situations.
- At work
He felt the company betrayed him when it cut his job after twenty years.
- With friends
If you tell anyone, you’ll betray my trust.
- The news
Many voters feel betrayed by politicians who broke their promises.
- In the passive
She was betrayed by someone she thought was her closest friend.
- History
The spy betrayed his country by selling secrets to the enemy.
How to use betray
Betray is serious. It means more than lie. The noun is betrayal. The adjective is betrayed, for the person who feels hurt. A traitor is someone who betrays their country.
You can betray trust or betray a person.
Forms
- betrayshe/she/it
- betrayedpast and past participle
- betraying-ing form
- betrayalnoun
Patterns
- betray someone
- betray someone’s trust
- feel betrayed (by someone)
- betray a secret / a promise
Common mistakes with betray
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NotHe betrayed to me.
SayHe betrayed me.
Betray takes a direct object with no preposition, so you betray a person or betray their trust.
Betray or cheat on or deceive?
- betray or cheat on
- Cheat on is used for a partner in a romantic relationship. Betray is wider: you can betray a friend, your family, your country or someone’s trust.
- betray or deceive
- Deceive means making someone believe something false. Betray means being disloyal to someone who trusts you; you often deceive someone when you betray them, but not always.
Betray is a C1 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Betray word family and collocations
The words that go with betray, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- betray someone’s trust
- feel betrayed
- a betrayal of trust
- betray a friend
- betray a secret
Word family
- betray (verb)
- betrayal (noun)
- betrayed (adjective)
Similar words
- be disloyal to
Opposites
- be loyal to
Questions about betray
What is the noun of betray?
The noun is betrayal: “It felt like a betrayal.” A person who betrays others, especially their country, can be called a traitor.
What does betray someone’s trust mean?
It means you do something that breaks the trust another person had in you, such as telling their secret or lying to them about something important.
The word before
Do you still remember renovate?
One question about the word from 23 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
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What does renovate mean?
When you renovate a house, you do big work on it, like new floors, a new kitchen or new wiring, so the old place becomes modern and in good condition.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
More feelings words
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C1
sentimental
Connected with feelings of love or memories, often about the past. -
B2
guilty
Feeling bad because you think you have done something wrong. -
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tolerate
To accept something that you do not like without complaining or taking action. -
B2
outgoing
Friendly, open and enjoying meeting people. -
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moody
Having moods that change quickly, often becoming unhappy or angry without a clear reason. -
C1
empathy
The ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.