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
If Democrats oppose the floor vote, Speaker Mike Johnson can afford to lose just two Republican votes before a third GOP defector could upset passage.
—
Lauren Peller, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
Laughter, gasps and applause are not uncommon, according to defectors and foreign visitors who have attended such events.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Rolapp’s bold approach created waves this week when the tour reinstated LIV defector Brook Koepka, a five-time major winner and worldwide star.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Brooks Koepka, one of the big names who decamped from the PGA Tour four years ago for the upstart LIV, is returning to the PGA Tour later this month thanks to a new policy meant to welcome select LIV defectors back.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Generally, the defectors don’t go far.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Netanyahu’s efforts to bolster his message and lure defectors back to the pro-Israel cause extend beyond Bible study.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Discharge petitions require the backing of a simple majority of House members, or 218 signatories; in addition to the Republican defectors, twelve Democrats have so far signed Fitzpatrick’s petition, and 28 have signed Gottheimer and Kiggans’.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
On Sunday, journalist Lesley Stahl sat down with right-wing firebrand and recent congressional defector Marjorie Taylor Greene for a 60 Minutes interview that has already racked up nearly 1 million views on YouTube.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Lauren Peller, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2026
Laughter, gasps and applause are not uncommon, according to defectors and foreign visitors who have attended such events.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Rolapp’s bold approach created waves this week when the tour reinstated LIV defector Brook Koepka, a five-time major winner and worldwide star.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Brooks Koepka, one of the big names who decamped from the PGA Tour four years ago for the upstart LIV, is returning to the PGA Tour later this month thanks to a new policy meant to welcome select LIV defectors back.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Generally, the defectors don’t go far.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Netanyahu’s efforts to bolster his message and lure defectors back to the pro-Israel cause extend beyond Bible study.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Discharge petitions require the backing of a simple majority of House members, or 218 signatories; in addition to the Republican defectors, twelve Democrats have so far signed Fitzpatrick’s petition, and 28 have signed Gottheimer and Kiggans’.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
On Sunday, journalist Lesley Stahl sat down with right-wing firebrand and recent congressional defector Marjorie Taylor Greene for a 60 Minutes interview that has already racked up nearly 1 million views on YouTube.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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This notably happened during the Civil War with enlistment bounties to track down deserters.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Dec. 2025
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Harry Truman granted amnesty to certain World War II deserters, while Jimmy Carter granted pardons to hundreds of thousands of individuals who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War.—
Stewart Ulrich,
The Conversation,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Hemphill spoke alongside former Capitol police officer Winston Pingeon, who described being punched in the face, pepper sprayed, and called a traitor by the rioters.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
7 Jan. 2026
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The J6ers were not insurrectionists, traitors, and miscreants but patriots, heroes, and innocents.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This growing group of renegade traders maintain that core truths emerge only after thousands of people express their opinions with their pocketbooks.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
17 Jan. 2026
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For most of DeSantis’ term, the state has been governed his desire to serve the needs of the wealthy elite while burnishing his credentials as an audacious renegade.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Annabeth and Grover tell Percy that Chiron has returned, Luke has vanished, and the monsters and rebels have been driven away from the camp.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Dylan The ultimate high school rebel with a heart of gold.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Israel — home to more Holocaust survivors than any other country — marks its remembrance day, Yom HaShoah, on the anniversary of the April 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, emphasizing the heroism of the Jewish insurgents who resisted the Nazi terror.—
Vanessa Gera,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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According to two senior government officials, the Canadian armed forces were drafting insurgent-like tactics mirroring those used by the Taliban to fight back against the US invasion of Afghanistan.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21,
Futurism,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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