as in to desert
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 defect (from)
Verb
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Further up Lake Street, there are signs of a slow recovery at the Plaza Mexico, with customers sitting at tables that were deserted during the winter.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
10 June 2026 -
Korda managed to keep it together when her swing, which felt so pure in the practice rounds, deserted her in an opening round of 73 that left her seven shots behind.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
Verb
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On the internet and in Parsons’s work, the backrooms are primarily business, retail, or other spaces meant for a specific use that, when abandoned, evoke a kind of uncertainty and fear.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
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This doesn't mean artists need to abandon short-form content or playlists.—
Sam Saideman,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Israel’s request to see the text was rejected by the US, an Israeli source told CNN.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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The legal case, decided at an emergency hearing in a Los Angeles courthouse on Monday morning, was brought by an Iranian fan who said FIFA’s block impinged freedom of speech, but the judge rejected that argument.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Throughout the episode, Whoopi Goldberg struggled to cut to commercial break, repeatedly having to cut off her co-hosts in heated interactions with the vice president.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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Prices soared as the supply was effectively cut off, and shipments probably will take a long time to return to pre-war levels.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defect (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect%20%28from%29. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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