betray

betray
   to copulate with a third party while married
   Literally, to prove false:
    He swiftly confessed, saying that he 'betrayed the covenants of marriage'. {Daily Telegraph, 29 September 1998 — the adultery of a pastor who was a spiritual adviser to Clinton had been publicized)
   In modern use, one spouse betrays the other.
   Formerly a male might betray a single woman by copulating with her with her consent:
    ... servant girls ceased to be seduced and began to be betrayed. (Mencken, 1940)

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Betray — Be*tray (b[ e]*tr[=a] ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Betrayed} ( tr[=a]d ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Betraying}.] [OE. betraien, bitraien; pref. be + OF. tra[ i]r to betray, F. trahir, fr. L. tradere. See {Traitor}.] 1. To deliver into the hands of an enemy by… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • betray — (v.) late 13c., bitrayen mislead, deceive, betray, from BE (Cf. be ) + obsolete M.E. tray, from O.Fr. traine betrayal, deception, deceit, from trair (Mod.Fr. trahir) betray, deceive, from L. tradere hand over, from trans across (see …   Etymology dictionary

  • betray — [v1] be disloyal abandon, be unfaithful, bite the hand that feeds you*, blow the whistle*, bluff, break faith, break promise, break trust, break with, commit treason, cross, deceive, deliver up*, delude, desert, double cross, finger*, forsake, go …   New thesaurus

  • betray — [bē trā′, bitrā′] vt. [ME bitraien < be , intens. + traien, betray < OFr trair < L tradere, to hand over: see TREASON] 1. a) to help the enemy of (one s country, cause, etc.); be a traitor to b) to deliver or expose to an enemy… …   English World dictionary

  • betray — I (disclose) verb acknowledge, admit, air, aperire, avow, bare, bear witness against, bring into the open, bring to light, come clean, confess, declare, detegere, divulge, double cross, expose, give away, give utterance to, impart, inform, inform …   Law dictionary

  • betray — 1 mislead, delude, *deceive, beguile, double cross Analogous words: trap, entrap, snare, ensnare (see CATCH): *dupe, trick, befool, hoodwink, gull 2 discover, *reveal, disclose, divulge, tell Analogous words: manifest, evidence, evince, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • betray — ► VERB 1) act treacherously towards (a person, country, etc.) by revealing information to or otherwise aiding an enemy. 2) be disloyal to. 3) unintentionally reveal; be evidence of. DERIVATIVES betrayal noun betrayer noun. ORIGIN from Old French… …   English terms dictionary

  • betray */*/ — UK [bɪˈtreɪ] / US verb [transitive] Word forms betray : present tense I/you/we/they betray he/she/it betrays present participle betraying past tense betrayed past participle betrayed 1) a) if you betray your country, or if you betray someone who… …   English dictionary

  • betray — be|tray [bıˈtreı] v [T] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(friends)¦ 2¦(country)¦ 3¦(emotions)¦ 4¦(truth)¦ 5 betray your beliefs/principles/ideals etc ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: tray to betray (13 16 centuries), from Old French traïr, from Latin tradere; TRAITOR] …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • betray — be|tray [ bı treı ] verb transitive ** 1. ) if you betray your country, or you betray someone who needs your support, you deliberately do something that harms them or helps their opponents: In wartime many people accused of betraying their… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • betray — [[t]bɪtre͟ɪ[/t]] betrays, betraying, betrayed 1) VERB If you betray someone who loves or trusts you, your actions hurt and disappoint them. [V n] When I tell someone I will not betray his confidence I keep my word... [V n] The President betrayed… …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”