as in deserter
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
the defector demanded political asylum in exchange for information about his nation's spying operations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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Russia is also reported to have forcibly sent hundreds of its military deserters to the front line in Ukraine.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025 -
Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC News,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Stephen Fry, Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed and singer Paloma Faith are just three of the 19 celebs entering the castle to sniff out the traitors from the faithfuls in the first celebrity season of the smash hit on the BBC.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 May 2025
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The former sees the latter as a pro-European traitor and а success symbol born of the imperial decline that Soviet-era bureaucrats have yet to accept.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
Noun
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The move to shutter the renegade shops — which in Manhattan alone vastly exceeded the number of Starbucks coffee shops — was widely applauded.—
Ashley Southall,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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His band of renegades is deeply committed to their mission and the members enjoy working together to overcome obstacles.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Set in a crumbling Japanese metropolis rebuilt after a devastating explosion, Akira follows teenage rebels Kaneda and Tetsuo as secret government experiments unleash psychic forces capable of unmaking the world.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
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Bombs go off to separate the authorities from the rebels.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
20 May 2025
Noun
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For decades, the Philippine armed forces battled insurgents in the southern reaches of the archipelago.—
ELY RATNER,
Foreign Affairs,
27 May 2025
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The insurgents have become the establishment, and the purpose of the establishment is always to protect itself.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
23 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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