Treason is the crime of betraying your country, for example by helping its enemies or by trying to remove its government using violence.
Synonyms: disloyalty, mutiny, treachery, subversion More Synonyms of treason
treason in British English
(ˈtriːzən)
noun
1.
violation or betrayal of the allegiance that people owe to their sovereign or their country, esp by attempting to overthrow the government; high treason
2.
any treachery or betrayal
Derived forms
treasonable (ˈtreasonable) or treasonous (ˈtreasonous)
adjective
treasonableness (ˈtreasonableness)
noun
treasonably (ˈtreasonably)
adverb
Word origin
C13: from Old French traïson, from Latin trāditiō a handing over; see tradition, traditor
treason in American English
(ˈtrizən)
noun
1. Rare
betrayal of trust or faith; treachery
2.
violation of the allegiance owed to one's sovereign or state; betrayal of one's country,specif., in the U.S. (as declared in the Constitution), consisting only in levying war against the U.S. or in giving aid and comfort to its enemies
SIMILAR WORDS: seˈdition
Word origin
ME treison < OFr traïson < L traditio < pp. of tradere, to give or deliver over or up < trans-, trans- + dare, to give: see UNRESOLVED CROSS REF
Examples of 'treason' in a sentence
treason
Others have been arrested by rebel colleagues on charges of treason.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Although all but one were acquitted of treason charges, others were found guilty of murder and spent years in prison.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
When the conflict concluded, hundreds of miners were indicted for murder, and more than a dozen were charged with treason.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
Such thoughts were considered high treason as recently as the beginning of this year.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Since the collapse of the treason trials radicals had been expectant of progress.
Adam Sisman The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge (2006)
Apparently this is akin to high treason.
The Sun (2007)
It can apply to any offence other than treason or murder and the husband must be present when the crime is committed.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
What they do is a form of treason, a crime against the people.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They were charged with treason for bearing arms against the Reich.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He and his Government have committed treason.
The Sun (2009)
Clearly, the treason law is not enough.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They might be silly, or courting danger but are not high treason.
Martin Allen THE HITLER-HESS DECEPTION (2003)
They died maintaining that high treason had been committed against the people of England.
Bryant, Arthur The Search for Justice - a history of Britain and the British people Volume III (1990)
The judge in his two-year treason trial found that the film presented as evidence had been doctored.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
WHY are these people not charged with treason and removed to the country they so proudlydefend?
The Sun (2011)
According to the king, she has committed treason and needs to be recaptured so justice can be done.
The Sun (2015)
He was charged with treason and for two years a death sentence hung over his head until a judge decided that he had been framed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Any defendant may plead the defence of duress to a charge that they have committed a criminal offence other than murder, attempted murder or treason.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
She was arrested and charged with treason, a capital offence, but made no attemptto deny her actions.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They wanted a new constitution and a new simplified legal system: no imprisonment for debt, capital punishment only for murder and treason.
Diane Purkiss The English Civil War: A People's History (2006)
Quotations
Treason doth never prosper, what's the reason For if it prosper, none dare call it treasonSir John HaringtonEpigrams
In other languages
treason
British English: treason NOUN
Treason is the crime of betraying your country, for example by helping its enemies or by trying to remove its government using violence.
They were tried and found guilty of treason.
American English: treason
Brazilian Portuguese: traição
Chinese: 叛国罪
European Spanish: traición
French: trahison
German: Verrat
Italian: tradimento
Japanese: 謀反
Korean: 반역죄
European Portuguese: traição
Latin American Spanish: traición
(noun)
Definition
any treachery or betrayal
Queen of England for nine days, she was beheaded for treason.
Synonyms
disloyalty
Charges of disloyalty had already been made against them.
mutiny
treachery
He was wounded by the treachery of old friends.
subversion
disaffection
duplicity
sedition
Government officials charged him with sedition.
perfidy (literary)
He cited many examples to illustrate the perfidy of his adversaries.
lese-majesty
traitorousness
Opposites
loyalty
,
allegiance
,
fidelity
,
patriotism
,
faithfulness
,
fealty
Quotation
Treason doth never prosper, what's the reason For if it prosper, none dare call it treason [Sir John Harington – Epigrams]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of perfidy
He cited many examples to illustrate the perfidy of his adversaries.
Synonyms
treachery,
betrayal,
infidelity,
treason,
deceit,
duplicity,
disloyalty,
double-dealing,
falsity,
faithlessness,
perfidiousness
in the sense of sedition
Definition
speech, writing, or behaviour intended to encourage rebellion or resistance against the government