traitor

noun

ˈtrā-tər How to pronounce traitor (audio)
Definition of traitornext
as in betrayer
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance accused by her family of being a traitor when she sold their traditionally animal-friendly business to a competitor known to use animals for testing its products

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of traitor Brian would have to report back home to his louse of a father to fight or be branded a traitor. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026 Each season, The Traitors brings together a group of people for a game of deceit, separating the cast into faithfuls and traitors who must try to figure out who is who. — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2026 But the court ruled that Thaci and his co-defendants targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the KLA. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 According to prosecutors, the men targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the KLA. — CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for traitor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traitor
  1. betrayer
  2. snake
Noun
  • The inferno that follows, as the betrayer’s dragon sets fire to both armies and then Tumbleton itself, will be rendered with both practical flames and CGI.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Then go ahead and depict the country’s prime minister as the betrayer of Christ.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Definition of betrayer
Noun
  • The brand offers the boots in dark chocolate and black leather, black suede and white and brown snake print.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Ingratitude is indeed sharper than a serpent’s tooth, and McBride isn’t wrong, but since when has Hollywood not been a pit of snakes?
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of snake

Browse Nearby Words

trait
traitor
traitorous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Traitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traitor. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All