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turncoat

[ turn-koht ]

/ ˈtɜrnˌkoʊt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR turncoat ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who changes to the opposite party or faction, reverses principles, etc.; renegade.

VIDEO FOR TURNCOAT

WATCH NOW: Turncoat: Visual Word of the Day

Would a turncoat by any other name sound as treasonous? Yup!

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Origin of turncoat

First recorded in 1550–60; turn + coat

Words nearby turncoat

turnabout, turnabout is fair play, turnaround, turnaround time, turnbuckle, turncoat, turncock, turndown, turned comma, turned-on, turner

Example sentences from the Web for turncoat

Many Poles use the term “turncoat” in a completely different way.

Poland’s Warmed-Over Cold Warrior |Andrew Nagorski |May 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
More often than not, turncoat spies are successfully recruited as one-offs, through serendipity and dumb luck.

The CIA Tried Hard to Recruit Spies Among the Al Qaeda Prisoners at Gitmo |Daniel Klaidman |November 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The notes variously called him a turncoat, a RINO, a traitor, or worse.

Marco Rubio Spurned by Original Tea Party Supporters Over Immigration |Patricia Murphy |July 8, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
But for many Republicans today, this quality makes him something of a turncoat.

Chuck Hagel’s Career Shows He’s Not Afraid to Change His Mind |Eli Lake |January 10, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

Yet another Republican turncoat, Powell obviously endorsed Obama twice.

Six Nominees to Succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State |Michael Tomasky |November 29, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The expression turnskin or turncoat is a translation of the Latin versipelles, a term used to describe a wer-wolf.

Human Animals |Frank Hamel
It needs more than the zeal of a turncoat to drive Apollo out of Parnassus.

The Future of English Poetry |Edmund Gosse
If you, for instance, are a turncoat, reproach your opponent with having no convictions!

Dream Tales and Prose Poems |Ivan Turgenev
We are not a turncoat; we had hoped that Carpentier would win.

Plum Pudding |Christopher Morley
Grieve we must, indeed, to find in you such a turncoat that naught but dishonor can come of it.

Hero Tales of the Far North |Jacob A. Riis

British Dictionary definitions for turncoat

turncoat

/ (ˈtɜːnˌkəʊt) /

noun

a person who deserts one cause or party for the opposite faction; renegade