Judas

noun

Ju·​das ˈjü-dəs 

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

Synonyms

• traitor

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

Campbell was branded ‘Judas’ and is still not forgiven in Spurs circles. —Steve Madeley, New York Times, 11 July 2025

Parents of teens who’d died by suicide sued Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest, alleging the music inspired their children’s deaths. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2025

The cast also includes Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Caleb Eberhardt (Judas and the Black Messiah), Shakira Ja’nai Paye (Single Drunk Female, black-ish) and Martin Lawrence (in a recurring role). —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 7 July 2025

One of the key moments is actually the last scene of the season, as Judas (Luke Dimyan) kisses the cheek of Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) in the Garden of Gethsemane, the infamous act of betrayal that identifies Jesus to the authorities. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 July 2025

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

Phrases Containing Judas

• Judas Iscariot
• Judas tree