stabbed in the back

VERB

attack unsuspecting person

Synonyms

WEAK

abandon backstab be disloyal be unfaithful betray break promise commit treason cross deceive double-cross doublecross 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.

But coming as it did in the middle of a $20 billion financial rescue engineered by the Treasury Department, many in the U.S. farming community felt stabbed in the back.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

"It hurts to be stabbed in the back last minute like that," said Marler.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

I envied them, their world, where the biggest problem was not quite liking each other enough or being stabbed in the back by someone they had known for three weeks.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2023

One recent newspaper cartoon captured the collision of tragedy and farce by depicting Johnson as the betrayed Roman ruler Julius Caesar, stabbed in the back with corkscrews.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 29, 2022

But the fact that I could have used up precious sleep time imagining I’d been stabbed in the back is alarming enough.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich