treason

noun

trea·​son ˈtrē-zᵊn How to pronounce treason (audio)
Synonyms of treasonnext
1
: the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family
2
: the betrayal of a trust : treachery

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of treason in a Sentence

He is guilty of treason. reading a friend's diary without permission would have to be regarded as the ultimate act of personal treason
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In June, Trump amplified a social media post calling for former Rep. Liz Cheney − the Republican co-chair of the special House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters − to be put on trial for treason by a military tribunal. —Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024 Trump in 2023 accused NBC of treason for reporting on his various legal troubles. —April Rubin, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024 His plan is to get constitutional sheriffs to round up those people in livestreamed swatting raids so they can be punished for treason. —David Gilbert, WIRED, 24 Oct. 2024 Everyone knows that Lady Jane Grey — brilliant, Protestant, and a legitimate claimant to the throne as a niece of Henry VIII — was queen of England for nine entire days, deposed to make way for Henry’s eldest surviving child Mary Tudor, and subsequently beheaded for treason. —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for treason 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tresoun, from Anglo-French traisun, from Latin tradition-, traditio act of handing over, from tradere to hand over, betray — more at traitor

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of treason was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing treason

Dictionary Entries Near treason

treas

treason

treasonable

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Treason.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treason. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

treason

noun
trea·​son ˈtrēz-ᵊn How to pronounce treason (audio)
1
: the betrayal of a trust : treachery
2
: the crime of attempting to overthrow the government of one's country or of attempting to kill or injure the ruler or the ruler's family
Etymology

Middle English tresoun "treason," from early French traisun (same meaning), from Latin tradition-, traditio "the action of handing over, tradition, betrayal," from tradere "to hand over, betray," from tra-, trans- "across" and dare "to give" — related to tradition, traitor

Word Origin
The words treason and tradition both come from the same Latin source. The Latin word traditio meant "teaching" or "tradition." These senses developed from its basic meaning, which was "the act of handing something over." Tradition is maintained by passing information from one generation to another. One kind of treason is committed when someone who has been entrusted with secret information passes it on to someone else. The word tradition was borrowed directly from the Latin traditio. Treason, on the other hand, came to us through early French, where traditio had changed into the word traisun.

Legal Definition

treason

noun
trea·​son ˈtrēz-ᵊn How to pronounce treason (audio)
: the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of one's country or of assisting its enemies in war
specifically : the act of levying war against the United States or adhering to or giving aid and comfort to its enemies by one who owes it allegiance
treasonous
-əs How to pronounce treason (audio)
adjective
Etymology

Anglo-French treison crime of violence against a person to whom allegiance is owed, literally, betrayal, from Old French traïson, from traïr to betray, from Latin tradere to hand over, surrender

More from Merriam-Webster on treason

Nglish: Translation of treason for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of treason for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about treason

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

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 Word Game 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?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...