Betrayal: English Vocabulary List

used of a situation in which one is busy with something else or is not looking

"While my back turned."

"The children often misbehave while their parents' backs are turned, causing mischief and chaos."

to gain advantage at the cost of someone else's suffering or loss

"He threw her under bus."

"The politician was accused of throwing his aide under the bus to avoid personal responsibility for the scandal."

to be disloyal and ungrateful to someone who has trusted or supported one

"He stabbed me in back."

"She felt completely betrayed when her closest friend decided to stab her in the back by spreading rumors."

a person who has a tendency to deceive or mislead others and is very likely to betray their trust

"He is a snake in grass."

"We never suspected him, but it turned out he was a snake in the grass all along."

to be unfaithful or disloyal to someone so as to gain profit oneself

"They sold him down river."

"The business partner was willing to sell his friend down the river for a larger share of the profits."

to not care for someone and leave them all alone

"She left him dust."

"After the accident, his supposed friends disappeared, leaving him in the dust to deal with the consequences alone."

an act that seems kind but with the intention of betraying someone

"That was a Judas kiss."

"His offer of help felt like a Judas kiss, as he immediately used the information to his advantage."

to make no effort to save or defend someone, particularly when they are being severely criticized or being treated unfairly

"They fed him to wolves."

"The company leadership decided to throw the junior employee to the wolves to deflect blame from their own poor decisions."

to secretely gather information about a person or group in order to expose them to a person of higher authority, often for one's personal gain

"He dropped a dime on them."

"The informant decided to drop a dime on the smuggling ring to receive a reduced sentence."

without one knowing or approving

"He spoke behind my back."

"It's disrespectful to gossip about your colleagues behind their backs."

to take from one source or person in order to fulfill an obligation or debt to another source or person, often resulting in a cycle of borrowing or rearranging debts without actually resolving the underlying financial issue

"Don't rob Peter."

"Trying to pay off one loan by taking out another is just robbing Peter to pay Paul."