betrayal
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betrayal
The act of seriously abusing the trust of a person or group by revealing secrets, acting disloyally, or breaking shared values. This can refer to personal relationships or to revealing state secrets to an enemy.
Sein Verrat an den eigenen Freunden wurde nie verziehen.
His betrayal of his own friends was never forgiven.
The noun 'der Verrat' (betrayal) is derived directly from the verb 'verraten' (to betray/reveal). If someone betrays something (e.g., a secret), that person commits a betrayal.
Er hat sein Team verraten, und dieser Verrat wiegt schwer.
He betrayed his team, and this betrayal weighs heavily.
To express who or what was betrayed, the preposition 'an' followed by the dative is used.
Das war ein Verrat an unserer Freundschaft.
That was a betrayal of our friendship.
'Verrat' (betrayal) is often used with the verb 'begehen' (to commit). A very serious form is 'Landesverrat' (treason), meaning betrayal of one's own country.
Der Spion hat Verrat an seinem Heimatland begangen.
The spy committed treason against his home country.
fraud / cheating
'der Betrug' and 'der Verrat' both have to do with a serious breach of trust. 'Betrug' means that someone deceives someone, often in order to get money or another advantage. In relationships, 'Betrug' can also mean cheating. 'Verrat' places more emphasis on disloyalty: for example, someone reveals a secret or lets down a trusted person or group. The words can be confused because deception and a breach of trust often occur together. If the trick or financial advantage is the focus, 'Betrug' fits. If broken trust or a betrayed secret is important, 'Verrat' fits.
Für sie war es ein Verrat, dass ihr Freund das Geheimnis weitererzählt hat.
To her, it was a betrayal that her boyfriend had told the secret to others.
Der Betrug begann mit einer E-Mail, die wie eine Nachricht der Bank aussah.
The fraud began with an email that looked like a message from the bank.