betray
part of speech
verb (betray, betrays, betrayed, betraying)
meaning for a pupil
1) To betray someone is to hurt them by being disloyal, for example by telling their secret, breaking a promise or helping their enemy. tree →
2) To betray your country is to help its enemies. tree →
3) To betray a feeling is to show it without meaning to: «Her shaking hands betrayed her fear.» tree →
4) A thing that is hidden can be betrayed when it is revealed by accident, so that others can see the truth. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and history, betrayal is a big theme: a friend tells the villain where the hero is hiding (Judas, Edmund in Narnia). In friendships, betraying a trust (sharing a secret, laughing behind someone's back) hurts. But safety lessons say: telling a trusted adult about a bad secret or danger is NOT betraying a friend. Phrases: «betray a secret», «betray someone's trust», «feel betrayed».
examples
- 'Give counsel, execute justice; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; betray not the fugitive. (Prophets ISA.16.3, JPS 1917) tree →
- He betrayed his friend by telling everyone her secret. tree →
- I felt betrayed when she broke her promise. tree →
- Edmund betrayed his brother and sisters to the witch. tree →
- The spy betrayed his country. tree →
- Her red face betrayed her embarrassment. tree →
- Don't betray the trust people give you. tree →
- His voice betrayed how nervous he was. tree →
- Telling an adult about a dangerous secret is not betraying anyone. tree →
- A false tale often betrays itself. tree →
note
Past: betrayed (keep the y). Noun: betrayal; person: traitor. Good secrets (a surprise party) are kept; bad secrets (someone is hurting you) should be told to an adult.
In the corpora
- He that would hide her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand betrayeth itself.
- Private messages were meant for one person, and spreading them betrays trust.
- A new friend doesn't betray an old one.
- Making a new friend does not betray an old one; you can have both.
- After a secret is betrayed, trust takes a long time to come back; forgiving is not the same as forgetting.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «betray» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.