betray

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /bəˈtreɪ/ or /bɪˈtreɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

Plain form betray

Third-person singular betrays

Past tense betrayed

Past participle betrayed

Present participle betraying

1. To prove faithless or treacherous to another's trust; to be false to; to deceive; as, to betray a person or a cause.

   We were betrayed when he defected to the enemy.

   He betrayed the company when he sold its secrets to a competitor.

Related words

• betrayer