Judas

noun

Ju·​das ˈjü-dəs How to pronounce Judas (audio)
1
a
: the apostle who in the Gospel accounts betrayed Jesus
b
: a son of James and one of the twelve apostles
2
: traitor
especially : one who betrays under the guise of friendship
3
not capitalized : peephole

called also judas hole, judas window

Examples of Judas in a Sentence

He was called a Judas by the press. she heatedly called her best friend a Judas after she found out her secrets had been spread all over town
Recent Examples on the Web On the evening before he was deceived by Judas, Jesus kept the Passover with his disciples. Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024 Gazing at the park’s Judas trees and their April magenta blossoms, Cattelan mused about his role in the Vatican pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, at the Giudecca women’s prison, where an outer wall is completely covered by his giant image of cadaverous-looking feet. Laura Rysman, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024 Stanfield earned an Oscar nomination in the best supporting category for his performance in 2021’s Judas and the Black Messiah and starred in last year’s Disney summer tentpole Haunted Mansion. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024 Increasingly, the award, which is selected by a small committee, has become a tactic for recognizing acts who’ve been nominated for the Hall proper without getting all the way to induction, such as Judas Priest in 2022 and Chaka Khan in 2023. Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 Apr. 2024 Smith went on to star in The Hate U Give and Judas and the Black Messiah. Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024 Jesus also washed the feet of his disciples and shared a foreshadowing of Judas’ betrayal at the Garden of Gethsemane. Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, British heavy metal juggernauts Judas Priest nab a new chart best with Invincible Shield (Columbia), their 19th studio album. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 18 Mar. 2024 Yet Judas Priest have remained hell bent for leather and, undeterred, made another album. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Judas.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Greek Ioudas, from Hebrew Yĕhūdhāh

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of Judas was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near Judas

Cite this Entry

“Judas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Judas. Accessed 2 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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