Stab someone in the back

Meaning

Hurt someone who was close to us by betraying them secretly and breaking their trust.

Examples

All my friends promised to vote for me but when the election came and I got no votes I knew I’d been stabbed in the back.

Where did it originate?

First seen in James Joyce’s Ulysees, 1922.

Where is it used?

Worldwide.

Hear the idiom spoken

More idioms about

Browse more Idioms

About the Author

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Stab someone in the back