50 Idioms for Broken Trust (Meanings and Examples)

Idioms are special phrases where the words together have a different meaning than the words do on their own. People use them to make conversation more colorful, expressive, and fun. In this article, you will learn fifty different idioms that are perfect for describing broken trust and betrayal.

In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean losing faith in someone. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.

Idioms for Broken Trust

1. Stab in the back

Definition: To betray someone who trusted you completely.

Used in a Sentence: Sharing my private secret with the whole class felt like a total stab in the back. / True friends will never give you a stab in the back.

Similar Expressions: Betray someone / Double-cross

2. Double-cross

Definition: To deceive someone after pretending to be their partner or friend.

Used in a Sentence: He felt cheated when his business partner tried to double-cross him. / You should never double-cross people who rely on your word.

Similar Expressions: Betray / Cheat

3. Break someone’s trust

Definition: To ruin the confidence and faith that someone placed in you.

Used in a Sentence: Lying to your parents is a quick way to break their trust. / Once you break someone’s trust, it takes a long time to earn it back.

Similar Expressions: Violate trust / Lose faith

4. Lose faith

Definition: To stop believing in someone’s honesty or reliability.

Used in a Sentence: After he missed three promises in a row, she began to lose faith in him. / Do not lose faith in your friends just because of one small mistake.

Similar Expressions: Doubt someone / Lose trust

5. Sell down the river

Definition: To betray or let down someone who trusted you for personal gain.

Used in a Sentence: He felt like his teammates sold him down the river when they blamed him for the loss. / A good leader would never sell their crew down the river.

Similar Expressions: Betray / Sell out

6. Sell out

Definition: To compromise your values or betray your friends for money or benefit.

Used in a Sentence: Changing your principles just to be popular is like selling out. / He refused to sell out his loyal supporters.

Similar Expressions: Compromise / Betray

7. Go back on one’s word

Definition: To fail to keep a promise you made to someone.

Used in a Sentence: Never go back on your word if you want people to trust you. / He promised to help us clean up, but he went back on his word.

Similar Expressions: Break a promise / Fail to deliver

8. Break a promise

Definition: To fail to do what you said you would do.

Used in a Sentence: Breaking a promise hurts the person who trusted you. / She promised to share her crayons, but breaking that promise made her friend sad.

Similar Expressions: Fail an agreement / Go back on a vow

9. Bite the hand that feeds you

Definition: To turn against or harm someone who helps and supports you.

Used in a Sentence: Helping him with his project only for him to insult me was like biting the hand that feeds you. / Be grateful to your mentors and never bite the hand that feeds you.

Similar Expressions: Be ungrateful / Turn on a helper

10. Pull the rug out from under someone

Definition: To suddenly withdraw support or betray someone’s expectations.

Used in a Sentence: Canceling the project at the last minute pulled the rug out from under our team. / It hurts when a trusted friend pulls the rug out from under you.

Similar Expressions: Let down / Betray

11. Lead someone down the garden path

Definition: To trick or deceive someone into believing something false.

Used in a Sentence: The fake treasure map led us down the garden path. / Do not lead your classmates down the garden path with false rumors.

Similar Expressions: Deceive / Trick

12. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes

Definition: To deceive or trick someone so they do not see the truth.

Used in a Sentence: He tried to pull the wool over his teacher’s eyes by copying his homework. / You cannot pull the wool over my eyes because I know the truth.

Similar Expressions: Trick someone / Fool someone

13. Play someone for a fool

Definition: To trick someone and make them look silly for trusting you.

Used in a Sentence: She realized he was playing her for a fool when he lied about his chores. / Do not let dishonest people play you for a fool.

Similar Expressions: Trick / Deceive

14. Take someone for a ride

Definition: To cheat or trick someone out of something or deceive them completely.

Used in a Sentence: Buying that broken toy online felt like the seller took me for a ride. / He felt betrayed when he found out his friend took him for a ride.

Similar Expressions: Cheat / Scam

15. Stab in the dark

Definition: A wild guess or a risky action done without trust or certainty.

Used in a Sentence: Choosing the answer without reading the book was just a stab in the dark. / Trusting a stranger is like making a blind stab in the dark.

Similar Expressions: Wild guess / Risky move

16. Two-faced

Definition: Being untrustworthy by acting friendly to your face but saying bad things behind your back.

Used in a Sentence: Nobody wants to be friends with someone who is two-faced. / Finding out she was two-faced broke my trust in her.

Similar Expressions: Insincere / Deceitful

17. False friend

Definition: Someone who pretends to care about you but betrays your trust.

Used in a Sentence: A false friend will only stick around when things are easy. / He learned the hard way that gossipers make false friends.

Similar Expressions: Untrustworthy person / Fair-weather friend

18. Fair-weather friend

Definition: Someone who is your friend only when things are good and disappears when trouble starts.

Used in a Sentence: When my bike broke down, my fair-weather friend walked away. / True companions stay with you, unlike fair-weather friends.

Similar Expressions: Unreliable friend / Untrustworthy pal

19. Snake in the grass

Definition: A sneaky and dishonest person who pretends to be nice.

Used in a Sentence: Watch out for the snake in the grass who smiles at you and spreads rumors. / He turned out to be a snake in the grass after stealing my idea.

Similar Expressions: Deceitful person / Sneaky rival

20. Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Definition: A dangerous or untrustworthy person who hides behind a kind and gentle appearance.

Used in a Sentence: The charming salesman was really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. / Be careful who you trust online; some strangers are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Similar Expressions: Hidden danger / Deceiver

21. Cross someone

Definition: To betray, anger, or go against someone’s trust.

Used in a Sentence: Do not cross your business partners if you want to keep your reputation. / He knew better than to cross her after she found out the truth.

Similar Expressions: Betray / Go against

22. Burn your bridges

Definition: To destroy your relationships and trust so completely that you can never return.

Used in a Sentence: Quitting your job by yelling at everyone is a great way to burn your bridges. / Never burn your bridges with people who helped you grow.

Similar Expressions: Ruin ties / Cut connections

23. Break confidence

Definition: To share a secret that someone trusted you to keep.

Used in a Sentence: Telling others what I whispered to you is a serious break of confidence. / A good friend will never break your confidence.

Similar Expressions: Reveal a secret / Betray a secret

24. Let the cat out of the bag

Definition: To accidentally or sneakily reveal a secret someone trusted you to keep.

Used in a Sentence: She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise birthday party. / Keeping a secret is hard if you accidentally let the cat out of the bag.

Similar Expressions: Reveal a secret / Spill the beans

25. Spill the beans

Definition: To disclose a secret and break someone’s trust in your silence.

Used in a Sentence: He spilled the beans about where we hid the prize. / Do not spill the beans or the surprise will be ruined.

Similar Expressions: Tell the secret / Reveal info

26. Turn your back on someone

Definition: To abandon someone who trusted you when they need help the most.

Used in a Sentence: A true friend will never turn their back on you during hard times. / Turning your back on someone in need breaks their trust forever.

Similar expressions: Abandon / Ignore

27. Leave someone high and dry

Definition: To abandon someone in a helpless situation after they trusted you.

Used in a Sentence: When my ride forgot to pick me up, I was left high and dry. / Promising to help and then disappearing leaves your friends high and dry.

Similar Expressions: Abandon / Strand

28. Pull the wool

Definition: To deceive someone by hiding the truth from them.

Used in a Sentence: Do not try to pull the wool over my eyes with that excuse. / Pulling the wool only damages trust in the end.

Similar Expressions: Trick / Hide truth

29. Lead someone on

Definition: To make someone believe something hopeful or untrue, breaking their trust later.

Used in a Sentence: It is unkind to lead someone on if you do not plan to help them. / He led her on by saying he would join the club, then quit.

Similar Expressions: Deceive / False hope

30. Empty promises

Definition: Promises made with no intention of keeping them.

Used in a Sentence: We are tired of hearing empty promises from the committee. / Make sure your actions match your words so they are not empty promises.

Similar Expressions: False vows / Meaningless words

31. Broken vow

Definition: A solemn promise that was broken, destroying trust.

Used in a Sentence: Breaking a sacred agreement is considered a broken vow. / His broken vow ruined their partnership.

Similar Expressions: Unkept promise / Violated oath

32. Lost confidence

Definition: The feeling when you no longer believe in someone’s ability or honesty.

Used in a Sentence: The manager lost confidence in the worker after repeated lies. / Losing confidence in a partner makes teamwork impossible.

Similar Expressions: Lost trust / Doubt

33. Breach of trust

Definition: An act of breaking someone’s trust or violating an agreement.

Used in a Sentence: Stealing the team funds was a major breach of trust. / A breach of trust is hard to forgive.

Similar Expressions: Betrayal / Violation

34. Sell your soul

Definition: To betray your deepest values and trust for selfish reasons.

Used in a Sentence: Cheating on the exam just to win felt like selling your soul. / Do not sell your soul for a temporary prize.

Similar Expressions: Compromise morals / Betray values

35. Play fast and loose

Definition: To act in a reckless, untrustworthy way with people’s feelings or rules.

Used in a Sentence: He plays fast and loose with his promises, so nobody trusts him anymore. / Do not play fast and loose with important rules.

Similar Expressions: Be reckless / Act untrustworthily

36. Lead a double life

Definition: To secretly hide your true actions from people who trust you.

Used in a Sentence: The dishonest character in the story led a double life. / Living honestly is better than leading a double life.

Similar Expressions: Hide secrets / Be deceitful

37. Behind someone’s back

Definition: Doing something secret and dishonest while someone trusts you.

Used in a Sentence: Spreading rumors behind someone’s back is a sign of a bad friend. / Always be honest rather than talking behind someone’s back.

Similar Expressions: Secretly / Sneakily

38. Pull a fast one

Definition: To trick or swindle someone quickly.

Used in a Sentence: He tried to pull a fast one by trading a fake baseball card. / Do not let him pull a fast one on you during the trade.

Similar Expressions: Trick / Cheat

39. Smoke and mirrors

Definition: Deceptive or tricky talk used to hide the real truth from people.

Used in a Sentence: The company’s promises turned out to be just smoke and mirrors. / We want honest facts, not smoke and mirrors.

Similar Expressions: Illusion / Deception

40. Fishy story

Definition: A story or explanation that seems untrustworthy and suspicious.

Used in a Sentence: His excuse for losing the keys sounded like a fishy story. / When the tale sounds fishy, investigate the facts.

Similar Expressions: Suspicious tale / Doubtful story

41. Rat out

Definition: To betray a friend or partner by telling authorities their secrets.

Used in a Sentence: He decided to rat out his accomplices to stay out of trouble. / A loyal friend will never rat you out.

Similar Expressions: Betray / Tattle

42. Drop like a hot potato

Definition: To abandon someone immediately when trouble or distrust arises.

Used in a Sentence: As soon as he got caught cheating, his friends dropped him like a hot potato. / Unreliable people will drop you like a hot potato.

Similar Expressions: Abandon quickly / Reject

43. Give someone the slip

Definition: To escape or abandon someone who is counting on you.

Used in a Sentence: The thief tried to give the police the slip. / Do not give your partners the slip when work gets tough.

Similar Expressions: Escape / Run away

44. Throw under the bus

Definition: To sacrifice a friend or ally to save yourself from trouble.

Used in a Sentence: He threw his coworker under the bus to avoid getting blamed for the mistake. / A true leader takes responsibility instead of throwing others under the bus.

Similar Expressions: Betray / Sacrifice an ally

45. Lose someone’s ear

Definition: To lose the trust and attentive listening of someone important.

Used in a Sentence: After breaking his promise, he lost the ear of the club president. / Keep your word so you never lose someone’s ear.

Similar Expressions: Lose trust / Fall out of favor

46. Fall from grace

Definition: To lose your good reputation and the trust of others because of bad behavior.

Used in a Sentence: Cheating in the contest caused his sudden fall from grace. / It is hard to recover after a major fall from grace.

Similar Expressions: Lose reputation / Disgrace

47. Tap into someone’s trust

Definition: To gain someone’s confidence only to break it later.

Used in a Sentence: The con artist tapped into her trust before stealing her ideas. / Be wary of strangers who tap into your trust too fast.

Similar Expressions: Exploit trust / Deceive

48. Break trust like glass

Definition: To destroy trust so severely that it can never be put back together easily.

Used in a Sentence: Lying about important things can break trust like glass. / Handle relationships carefully because trust is fragile like glass.

Similar Expressions: Shatter trust / Ruin faith

49. Walk all over someone

Definition: To treat someone poorly and take advantage of their trust and kindness.

Used in a Sentence: Do not let people walk all over you just because you are nice. / Taking advantage of kindness is like walking all over a friend.

Similar Expressions: Take advantage / Mistreat

50. Turn coat

Definition: To betray your side or group and join the opposition.

Used in a Sentence: Changing sides during the game made him look like a turncoat. / Nobody respects a turncoat who breaks loyalty for an easy win.

Similar Expressions: Traitor / Betrayer

Exercise to Practice

1. Sharing my private secret with the whole class felt like a total stab in the back.
2. He felt cheated when his business partner tried to double-cross him.
3. Lying to your parents is a quick way to build their trust instantly.
4. After he missed three promises in a row, she began to lose faith in him.
5. He felt like his teammates sold him down the river when they blamed him for the loss.
6. Changing your principles just to be popular is like selling out.
7. Never go back on your word if you want people to trust you.
8. Breaking a promise helps the person who trusted you feel great.
9. Helping him with his project only for him to insult me was like biting the hand that feeds you.
10. Canceling the project at the last minute pulled the rug out from under our team.
11. The fake treasure map led us down the garden path.
12. He tried to pull the wool over his teacher’s eyes by doing extra honest work.
13. She realized he was playing her for a fool when he lied about his chores.
14. Buying that broken toy online felt like the seller took me for a ride.
15. Choosing the answer without reading the book was just a stab in the dark.

Answer Key

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. True
8. False
9. True
10. True
11. True
12. False
13. True
14. True
15. True

Conclusion

Learning these idioms helps you describe broken trust and betrayal in a colorful and expressive way. Instead of using plain words, you can use unique phrases to talk about when promises are broken and honesty is lost.

Try using one or two of these expressions when telling a story or discussing character traits with friends. You will find that sharing your thoughts with creative language makes talking about important life lessons much more meaningful.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some common idioms for broken trust?

Some common idioms for broken trust include a stab in the back, going back on your word, and selling someone down the river. These expressions help describe when someone betrays your confidence.

Why do we use idioms in English?

Idioms make our language more colorful, fun, and expressive than using plain words. They let us share feelings and situations in a creative way.

How can I practice using idioms?

You can practice by using one new idiom each day in a sentence when talking to your friends or family. Writing short stories or doing practice exercises also helps you remember them.

Are idioms meant to be taken literally?

No, idioms should not be taken literally because their combined meaning is different from the individual words. For example, stabbing someone in the back is a figurative phrase for betrayal, not a physical attack.

Can idioms help me express difficult situations better?

Yes, idioms give you fun and creative ways to explain how you feel when someone breaks a promise or acts dishonestly.