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stab in the back

VERB
attack unsuspecting person
Synonyms
WEAK
abandon backstab be disloyal be unfaithful betray break promise commit treason cross deceive double-cross finger go back on inform on play Judas sell down the river sell out trick turn in turn informer turn traitor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

President Vladimir Putin described that mutiny as a treacherous "stab in the back", but later met with Prigozhin in the Kremlin.

From Reuters • Aug. 27, 2023

“It felt like a parenting stab in the back from the school system,” she said.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2023

Clip Studio going subscription mode has to be the worst stab in the back of the digital art community that I’ve seen in a long time.

From The Verge • Aug. 22, 2022

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced the decision as "a stab in the back", and Paris temporarily recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the US.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2021

And as they turned, Bod felt something stab in the back of his hand.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman