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Glite Dictionary
🗡️ Secret betrayal 🗡️ Betraying others 🗡️ To betray
to backstabbing

to backstabbing

4.7
To betray someone secretly by acting against them behind their back
  • verb
  • /ˈbækˌstæbɪŋ/
  • Informal
translation icon : traicionar a
  • In the meeting, he realized that his teammates were backstabbing him by criticizing his ideas behind his back.

You know, it's like when toxic people stop backstabbing you and sabotaging you and talking about you.

Examples

  • You know, it's like when toxic people stop backstabbing you and sabotaging you and talking about you.

    Dr. Phil

  • She felt betrayed when she discovered her colleague had been backstabbing her to gain a promotion.

  • Well, on conflict resolutions, backstabbing to get this friend on your side.

  • Her constant backstabbing made it difficult for anyone to trust her in the group.

Synonyms

to betray
vsto backstabbing
143 4.6

Tell someone's secret to other people

focuses on acting secretly against someone rather than only revealing facts
to snitch
vsto backstabbing
  • Slang
36 7.9

To secretly tell the police or a person in charge about someone's bad actions

involves acting against someone behind their back rather than mainly informing
to double-cross
vsto backstabbing
32 6.5

Betray someone who trusts you after pretending to help them

is broader, covering secret unfair actions beyond false support
to backstab
vsto backstabbing
  • Informal
5 6.6

To secretly betray someone who trusts you

focuses on harming someone behind their back rather than only the pretense
to cut someone's throat
vsto backstabbing
  • Offensive
8.4

To betray or hurt someone to get an advantage

is about secret unfair actions rather than direct physical harm for gain

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to defend
∞ 1.3

To protect people and things from attack or harm

How Treacherous

to backstabbing
  • Informal
4.7
to betray
143 4.6
to undermine
270 6.8
to let down
210 2.9

Surface Forms

backstab infinitive
backstabbed past
backstabbed past participle
backstabbing present participle
backstabs third person singular

Morphology

backstabbing = backstab (transparent) = back + stab + ing

This is the progressive/participle form of the verb 'backstab' formed with '-ing', so the verbal meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Backstabbing comes from the image of a hidden attack: back 'behind' and stab 'to push a knife into'. That is why to backstab or to be backstabbing someone means to betray them secretly, acting friendly while doing harm behind their back.