betray with a kiss

verb

Of Judas, to kiss Jesus so as to discreetly signal to Roman soldiers that Jesus was the Christ, and as such was the one to be arrested.

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Meanings

verbbetray with a kiss (third-person singular simple present betrays with a kiss, present participle betraying with a kiss, simple past and past participle betrayed with a kiss)

present singular third person betrays with a kiss · participle present betraying with a kiss · participle past betrayed with a kiss · past betrayed with a kiss

  1. set phrasebiblicalOf Judas, to kiss Jesus so as to discreetly signal to Roman soldiers that Jesus was the Christ, and as such was the one to be arrested.
  2. idiomaticTo betray someone in a seemingly inconspicuous or innocuous manner.

    One man caught on a barbed-wire fence; one man, he resist[s]. One man washed on an empty beach; one man betrayed with a kiss.

    1984 October 1, “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”, in The Unforgettable Fire, performed by U2

Origin

The term comes from the Gospel of Luke chapter 22, verse 48 of the New Testament: ⁴⁷ While He was still speaking, a crowd arrived, led by the man called Judas, one of the Twelve. He approached Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” The Gospel of Luke, Berean Standard Bible.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

betray with a kiss. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betray%20with%20a%20kiss

MLA

“betray with a kiss.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betray%20with%20a%20kiss. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “betray with a kiss,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betray%20with%20a%20kiss.

Source: betray with a kiss on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.