2 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
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 treachery or
fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or
faithlessly; as an officer betrayed the city.
Jesus said unto them The Son of man shall be
betrayed into the hands of men. --Matt. xvii.
22.
2. To prove faithless or treacherous to as to a trust or one
who trusts; to be false to to deceive; as to betray a
person or a cause
But when I rise, I shall find my legs betraying me
--Johnson.
3. To violate the confidence of by disclosing a secret, or
that which one is bound in honor not to make known
Willing to serve or betray any government for hire.
--Macaulay.
4. To disclose or discover, as something which prudence would
conceal; to reveal unintentionally.
Be swift to hear, but cautious of your tongue, lest
you betray your ignorance. --T. Watts.
5. To mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to
lead into error or sin.
Genius . . . often betrays itself into great errors.
--T. Watts.
6. To lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise
of marriage) and then abandon.
7. To show or to indicate; -- said of what is not obvious at
first or would otherwise be concealed.
All the names in the country betray great antiquity.
--Bryant.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
betray
v 1: reveal unintentionally; "Her smile betrayed her true
feelings" [syn: {bewray}]
2: deliver to an enemy by treachery; "Judas sold Jesus"; "The
spy betrayed his country" [syn: {sell}]
3: disappoint, prove undependable to abandon, forsake; "His
sense of smell failed him this time"; "His strength
finally failed him"; "His children failed him in the
crisis" [syn: {fail}]
4: be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage; "She
cheats on her husband"; "Might her husband be wandering?"
[syn: {cheat on}, {cheat}, {cuckold}, {wander}]
5: give away information about somebody; "He told on his
classmate who had cheated on the exam" [syn: {denounce}, {tell
on}, {give away}, {rat}, {grass}, {peach}, {shit}, {shop},
{snitch}, {stag}]
6: cause someone to believe an untruth; "The insurance company
deceived me when they told me they were covering my house"
[syn: {deceive}, {lead astray}] [ant: {undeceive}]
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