Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of sell down the river

24 similar words

Another word for sell down the river is double-cross. Other synonyms of sell down the river are sell, knife, turncoat and traitorize.

Synonyms and similar words for sell down the river

verbTo betray, especially in a manner which causes serious difficulty for the one betrayed.

  • sellTo betray for money or other things.
  • sell the passTo betray one's comrades or countrymen; to betray a cause.
  • sell outTo betray (a person), usually a close friend or family member, for personal gain.
  • assfuck Canada, USTo betray.
  • betray
  • burn slangTo betray; to con or rob.
  • cop out slangTo abandon, let down or betray (someone).
  • cross out slangTo lie to or betray (someone); to deceive or scam (someone).
  • cross up Canada, USTo double-cross or betray (someone).
  • double-crossTo betray or go back on; to deceive someone after having gained their trust and led them to believe that they were...
  • do someone dirtyTo deliberately treat someone in an unfair or harmful manner.
  • do the dirty on Australia, UKTo treat (someone) in an unfair manner; to cheat or betray.
  • go back onTo be treacherous or faithless to; to betray.
  • knifeTo betray, especially in the context of a political slate.
  • let downTo disappoint; to betray or fail somebody.
  • play someone falseTo betray someone; to be disloyal to someone.
  • sell downTo betray a person; to conspire against someone for personal gain.
  • stab in the backTo betray (somebody).
  • traitorizeTo be a traitor to; betray.
  • turncoatTo act as a turncoat; to betray.
  • false obsoleteTo violate, to betray (a promise, an agreement, one’s faith, etc.).
  • quisle rareTo collaborate with an (occupying) enemy power; be a quisling.
  • renegade datedTo desert one's cause, or change one's loyalties; to commit betrayal.
  • swike dialectal, obsoleteTo deceive, cheat; betray.

Meaning of sell down the river

  1. verb To betray, especially in a manner which causes serious difficulty for the one betrayed.

Full definition of sell down the river

sell down the river in other languages

Questions about synonyms of sell down the river

What is another word for sell down the river?
Sell down the river has 24 synonyms on Word.ws, such as double-cross, sell, knife, turncoat and traitorize.
What does sell down the river mean?
Sell down the river means to betray, especially in a manner which causes serious difficulty for the one betrayed.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: sell down the river (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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