Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who says one thing and does another; a betrayer: A "double-crosser" is someone who deceives or betrays another person, especially after having promised loyalty or cooperation. The person acts in a way that is contrary to their stated intentions or agreements.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • He was exposed as a double-crosser who had been selling secrets to the rival company.
  • In the spy novel, the trusted ally turned out to be a double-crosser working for the enemy.
  • You can't trust him; he's a known double-crosser who will abandon any deal for personal gain.

Advanced Usage

• "To be labeled a double-crosser": To be publicly identified or described as a traitor.
  • After the scandal, he was forever labeled a double-crosser in the political community.
• Conceptual usage: The term often implies a specific, deliberate act of betrayal against a person or group with whom one was supposedly cooperating.
  • The plot revolves around the protagonist's hunt for the double-crosser in his own organization.

Variants and Related Words

• Double-cross (verb): To betray or deceive someone after having gained their trust.
  • He double-crossed his partners by taking the money for himself.
• Double-dealer (noun): A synonym for double-crosser; a person who engages in deceitful or treacherous behavior.
• Betrayal (noun): The act of betraying someone's trust.

Synonyms

• Traitor: A person who betrays a country, cause, or person.
• Backstabber: A person who pretends to be a friend but secretly acts harmfully.
• Two-timer: A person who is unfaithful, especially in a romantic relationship (can overlap in the sense of deceit).
• Judas: A term for a traitor, derived from the biblical figure who betrayed Jesus.

Related Phrases

• To double-cross someone: The verb phrase from which the noun is derived.
  • She felt devastated when she realized her best friend had double-crossed her.

Related Idioms

• To stab someone in the back: To betray someone in a treacherous manner.
  • He got the promotion by stabbing his mentor in the back. (This idiom describes the action of a double-crosser.)
• A wolf in sheep's clothing: A person who hides malicious intent behind a friendly appearance.
  • The charming new investor was a wolf in sheep's clothing—a complete double-crosser.

Noun

1. a person who says one thing and does another