as in traitor
one who betrays a trust or an allegiance
the plot of the story revolved around the gangster's relentless determination to learn the identity of the turncoat
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Recent Examples of turncoat
The other senators are immediately abuzz, and Mothma has to be smuggled out of the spherical senate chamber to avoid abduction by a turncoat.
—
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
Many countries have a great turncoat in their history.
—Matthew J. Friedman, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
This is all happening because the person who’s supposed to be leading the charge against the spread of communicable disease is something of a turncoat, instead working to increase our vulnerability to these pathogens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2025
Many countries have a great turncoat in their history.
—Matthew J. Friedman, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
This is all happening because the person who’s supposed to be leading the charge against the spread of communicable disease is something of a turncoat, instead working to increase our vulnerability to these pathogens.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for turncoat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for turncoat
traitor
Noun
-
Modern American presidents have called their domestic political opponents, or enemies, many things over the years, but never a traitor.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
28 July 2025
-
In the game, traitors are secretly chosen at the outset while the remaining contestants must work together to unmask them before being eliminated themselves.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Turncoat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/turncoat. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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