betray

betray — 動詞

1. to turn against a person, group, or country that trusted you, especially by help

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

背叛

倒向對方，傷害信任你的人

to turn against a person, group, or country that trusted you, especially by helping the other side or leaving them without support.

例句

One officer betrayed the army by sending maps to the enemy.

一名軍官把地圖送給敵軍，背叛了軍隊。

betray + group by + -ing

Mina felt betrayed when her cousin shared the private messages.

表妹把那些私訊說出去時，Mina 覺得自己被背叛了。

passive: feel betrayed

同義詞
  • double-cross

    informal and often suggests a deliberate trick against someone

  • sell out

    informal and stresses acting for money or advantage

  • desert

    focuses on leaving someone without help, not always helping the other side

  • turn against

    a broader phrase for changing sides or loyalties

反義詞
  • support

    stresses standing by a person or group instead of turning against them

  • remain loyal to

    emphasizes keeping faith with the person or side you belong to

文法句型

betray + person/group/country

betray + object + by + -ing

feel betrayed

用法筆記

Object is usually a person, group, or country that placed trust in the subject. Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is something abstract such as a promise, value, or belief.

常見錯誤

❌He betrayed to his team during the match.
✅He betrayed his team during the match.
💡'betray' takes a direct object, not 'betray to'.
❌Jamal betrayed with the enemy for money.
✅Jamal betrayed her country by working with the enemy for money.
💡name the person or group harmed as the object; the action can follow with 'by'.

2. to act against a promise, someone else's trust, or your own beliefs instead of s

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

違背；辜負

不守承諾或信念

to act against a promise, someone else's trust, or your own beliefs instead of staying true to them.

例句

By taking the bribe, the judge betrayed the trust of the public.

收下那筆賄賂，就是辜負了大眾的信任。

betray the trust of + group

Nora refused the deal because it betrayed her deepest beliefs.

Nora 拒絕那筆交易，因為那會違背她最深的信念。

betray + belief

同義詞
  • break

    the broad everyday verb, especially with promise or trust

  • violate

    more formal and common with principles, rules, or agreements

  • go back on

    used especially for a promise, word, or agreement

  • abandon

    fits beliefs or principles when someone leaves them behind

反義詞
  • keep

    the normal opposite with promise or trust

  • honour

    more formal and common with promises, duties, or agreements

  • uphold

    used especially for values, standards, or principles

文法句型

betray the trust of + noun

betray + promise/value/belief

betray + object + by + -ing

用法筆記

Object is typically an abstract thing that should be kept, such as trust, a promise, a value, or a belief. Distinguish from sense 1, which is used when the object is a person, group, or country.

常見錯誤

❌She betrayed the school rule by using her phone.
✅She broke the school rule by using her phone.
💡this sense is used for promises, trust, values, or beliefs, not ordinary rules.
❌He betrayed that he would help us.
✅He broke his promise to help us.
💡this sense takes an object like 'promise' or 'trust', not a that-clause.

3. to let a secret, private fact, or hidden plan become known, either accidentally

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

洩露；透露

把秘密或內情說出來

to let a secret, private fact, or hidden plan become known, either accidentally or by breaking confidence.

例句

A nervous glance betrayed the surprise party before Mia opened the door.

Mia 還沒開門前，一個緊張的眼神就洩露了那場驚喜派對。

betray + hidden plan

Tom betrayed the hiding place when he pointed at the shed.

Tom 指向那間小棚屋時，透露了藏身地點。

同義詞
  • reveal

    the general neutral verb for making something known

  • disclose

    more formal and common in official or legal contexts

  • give away

    informal and often suggests showing something by mistake

  • let slip

    used especially when someone says something accidentally

反義詞
  • hide

    the everyday opposite for keeping something unknown

  • conceal

    slightly more formal and often deliberate

文法句型

betray + secret/plan

betray + object + to + listener

betray + place/information

用法筆記

Object is usually a secret, plan, hiding place, date, or other hidden fact. Distinguish from sense 4, where what becomes visible is a feeling or quality rather than information.

常見錯誤

❌She betrayed me the secret at lunch.
✅She betrayed the secret to me at lunch.
💡the secret is the direct object; the listener comes after 'to'.
❌The note betrayed about the plan.
✅The note betrayed the plan.
💡do not add 'about' when the hidden information is the object.

4. to let a feeling, thought, or personal quality become visible even though you ar

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

流露；顯出

無意中顯出情緒或特質

to let a feeling, thought, or personal quality become visible even though you are trying not to show it.

例句

Her shaking hands betrayed her fear during the job interview.

她發抖的雙手在求職面試時流露出她的恐懼。

body sign + betray + feeling

A small smile betrayed how proud the coach felt.

一抹淡淡的笑，顯出教練有多自豪。

betray how + adjective-clause

同義詞
  • show

    the broad everyday verb, but less specific about accidental display

  • reveal

    slightly stronger and can be more general than this emotional sense

  • give away

    informal and often used for signs that accidentally show the truth

  • signal

    focuses on indicating something, often through a sign or expression

反義詞
  • hide

    the common opposite for keeping feelings or qualities unseen

  • mask

    stresses deliberately covering what you feel or are like

文法句型

betray + feeling

betray how + adjective-clause

body part/voice + betray + emotion

用法筆記

The subject is often something visible or audible, such as hands, eyes, a face, a smile, or a voice. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about making information known rather than showing an emotion or quality.

常見錯誤

❌His eyes betrayed that he was tired.
✅His eyes betrayed his tiredness.
💡this sense more naturally takes a feeling or quality as the object.
❌The smile betrayed happy.
✅The smile betrayed happiness.
💡use a noun object after 'betray', not an adjective alone.