betray
gb/bɪtɹˈeɪ/ us/bɪtɹˈeɪ/
B1
Anglais
~ 4700
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
B1
action
1
Be disloyal to someone
To hurt someone who trusts you by not being loyal or by helping their enemy.
Schéma d’usage :
to betray [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'betray' with 'deceive'. 'Betray' usually involves breaking trust, while 'deceive' means to make someone believe something untrue.
Synonymes
deceive (Implies misleading someone, but not always involving disloyalty to a trust.)
|
double-cross (Informal; stresses cheating someone after pretending to be loyal.)
Antonymes
support (Means to help or stand by someone, the opposite of acting against them.)
|
stand by (Means to remain loyal to someone in difficulty.)
Collocations
betray a friend
|betray a trust
|betray one's country
|betray a confidence
Thèmes
relationships
|emotions
|conflict
|law
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- She betrayed her best friend by sharing his secret.
- The spy betrayed his country for money.
- I can't believe you would betray me after all we've been through.
- He felt betrayed when she sided with his rival.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He betrayed his friend to the police.
- She betrayed me when she told my secret.
- The soldier betrayed his country.
- I will never betray you.
Verbe
B2
action
2
Reveal unintentionally
To show a feeling or fact without meaning to.
Schéma d’usage :
to betray [emotion/feature]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think 'betray' here always means 'to be disloyal', but in this sense it means to accidentally show something hidden.
Synonymes
reveal (General term for making something known, intentionally or not.)
|
give away (Informal; implies exposing something secret or hidden.)
Antonymes
conceal (Means to hide something so it is not seen or known.)
Collocations
betray nervousness
|betray ignorance
|betray one's feelings
Thèmes
communication
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Her trembling hands betrayed her fear.
- His voice betrayed his nervousness during the interview.
- The look on his face betrayed his disappointment.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Her eyes betrayed her sadness.
- His smile betrayed his true feelings.
- The shaking of his hands betrayed his fear.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
betray
API
GB/bɪtɹˈeɪ/
US/bɪtɹˈeɪ/
Syllabes et accentuation
be - tray (2 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (tray)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: betray
- 3rd Person Singular: betrays
- Present Participle: betraying
- Past: betrayed
Famille de mots
Forms
betrays
verb
betraying
verb
betrayed
verb
Core family
betrayal
noun B2
Related words
betrayer
noun
Expressions
betray a confidence
1/bɪtɹˈeɪ ə kˈɑnfədəns/
fixed phrase
Reveal private information
To tell someone a secret that was told to you in private.
Exemples
- She betrayed a confidence by telling the press about their conversation.
- I would never betray a confidence, no matter what.
betray someone's trust
1/bɪtɹˈeɪ sˈʌmwˌʌnz tɹˈʌst/
fixed phrase
Break someone's confidence
To do something that makes someone stop trusting you.
Exemples
- He betrayed my trust when he lied about the money.
- You should never betray a child's trust.