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
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Recent Examples of defector
The Cubs sign Cuban defector Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract worth $30 million.
—
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Heck, our homegrown liberal media and the city of San Francisco even celebrated Olympic defectors like Eileen Gu, who was paid by the Chinese Communist Party to compete for them in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2026
Anthropic, the lab founded by its own defectors, confidentially filed this week at a near $1 trillion valuation.
—Rory McDonald, Fortune, 6 June 2026
While that's a steep legislative hill, a sizeable group of Republican senators has openly complained about the fund, leaving open the possibility that Democrats could lure across the aisle an embarrassing number of GOP defectors.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 3 June 2026
The film explores the iconic partnership between Fonteyn, a 42-year-old prima ballerina and Britain’s most famous dancer, and Rudolf Nureyev, the 23-year-old rebellious Soviet defector who became her partner on stage (and, it was rumored, off it as well).
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
Nureyev is 23, a rebellious Soviet defector — magnetic, explosive, unstoppable.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
The entire family of defectors gathered a year later to celebrate her first birthday in a bright banquet hall in Seoul.
—Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
Evangelicals have mostly stuck by Trump, even with prominent defectors such as Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore and New York Times columnist David French railing against widespread Christian support for the president, given his personal life and tendency to make incendiary statements.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
Heck, our homegrown liberal media and the city of San Francisco even celebrated Olympic defectors like Eileen Gu, who was paid by the Chinese Communist Party to compete for them in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2026
Anthropic, the lab founded by its own defectors, confidentially filed this week at a near $1 trillion valuation.
—Rory McDonald, Fortune, 6 June 2026
While that's a steep legislative hill, a sizeable group of Republican senators has openly complained about the fund, leaving open the possibility that Democrats could lure across the aisle an embarrassing number of GOP defectors.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 3 June 2026
The film explores the iconic partnership between Fonteyn, a 42-year-old prima ballerina and Britain’s most famous dancer, and Rudolf Nureyev, the 23-year-old rebellious Soviet defector who became her partner on stage (and, it was rumored, off it as well).
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
Nureyev is 23, a rebellious Soviet defector — magnetic, explosive, unstoppable.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
The entire family of defectors gathered a year later to celebrate her first birthday in a bright banquet hall in Seoul.
—Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
Evangelicals have mostly stuck by Trump, even with prominent defectors such as Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore and New York Times columnist David French railing against widespread Christian support for the president, given his personal life and tendency to make incendiary statements.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
-
The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Both groups were accused of being spies, traitors and collaborators, according to the report.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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He was shunned by his homeland and called a traitor.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Noun
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People didn’t come to the series with a working knowledge of the State Department, ready to see what the renegades were like.—
Debora Cahn,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Young Julian might also be surprised by how your Corpus crew, which started kind of like a renegade group of friends, now has real community impact.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Analysts, including those at the ISP-M, say China has intermittently backed both Myanmar's ruling military, and the rebels that military is battling in the country's civil war, depending on its varying economic and security interests.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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The celebratory tours take visitors through the city's historic brick roads and along the bayfront, uncovering colonial stories of East Florida's loyalty to the British, imprisoned founding fathers and patriot rebels.—
Amy Galo,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
In 2022, French forces departed Mali as insurgents made incursions into the capital, Bamako.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
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But now the onetime insurgent sits atop a sprawling establishment.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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