as in deserted
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
soldiers defected from the rebel army en masse as the failure of their cause became apparent
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defected (from)
Verb
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The tables were empty and the bar deserted, the only sign of life the clank and swish of dishes being washed in the back, through the swinging double doors.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025 -
The entire neighborhood was thus deserted, with its infrastructure entirely devastated—no water networks, no electricity, and no communication or internet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Charlie had been abandoned and then rescued and fostered by a man in Jacksonville.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Fianna Fail’s pick, former Gaelic football coach Jim Gavin, abandoned his bid due to a financial scandal.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, Russia’s Defense Ministry has rejected the Lithuanian claims and said its Su-30 fighter jets conducted training flights over the Kaliningrad region in strict compliance with the rules, not violating the borders of any other states.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Texas lawmakers rejected both the Smithsonian's cost estimates of transporting Discovery and the museum's legal claim of ownership.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defected (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defected%20%28from%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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