defection

noun de·fec·tion \ di-ˈfek-shən \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Definition of defection

: conscious abandonment of allegiance or duty (as to a person, cause, or doctrine) : desertion

Recent Examples of defection from the Web

Granted, the defection of LeBron James from Cleveland to the Los Angeles Lakers has left the Eastern Conference something of a smoking crater.

— gary peterson, sacbee, "Breaking the NBA? On the contrary, the Warriors are doing it a favor," 12 July 2018
So, at least in the short-term, Flake could conceivably compensate for one defection among the aforementioned Democratic and pro-choice Republican senators — depending on just how passionately the Arizona lawmaker hates tariffs.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The Fate of Abortion Rights in America May Now Lie With These Senators," 27 June 2018
Buoyed by key defections in the Houthi ranks, the coalition sees the city's potential capture as the victory that will tilt the war definitively in their favor.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "The world’s most dire humanitarian crisis may get even worse," 15 June 2018
With the defections of Pac-12 quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen and Luke Rosen to the NFL, Herbert quickly has become the elder statesman of Pac-12 signal callers.

— matt murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Oregon counts on Mario Cristobal to build on success, Ducks are No. 75 in 2018 preseason college football rankings," 13 June 2018
The Republicans only hold their majority in the 63-seat chamber because of the continuing defection of Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who caucuses with Republicans.

— jesse mckinley, New York Times, "State Senate Grinds to a Halt as Neither Party Can Make a Majority," 31 May 2018
Friday’s collapse of the farm bill, which must be renewed every five years, was triggered by defections by members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-line conservatives who have long been a thorn in Mr. Ryan’s side.

— joshua jamerson, WSJ, "Farm Bill’s Defeat Marks Setback for Paul Ryan," 18 May 2018
In Oklahoma, as in West Virginia, teachers got a boost from their bosses as school boards and superintendents expressed frustration with the mass defections of teachers to neighboring states such as Texas, which offer much better pay.

— matt pearce, latimes.com, "Red-state revolt continues: Teachers strike in Oklahoma and protest in Kentucky," 3 Apr. 2018
They were hurt by the last-minute defection of top linebacker Otis Reese to Georgia and missing out on offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere to Ohio State.

— lindsay schnell, USA TODAY, "Winners and losers from college football's national signing day," 7 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defection.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of defection

borrowed from Latin dēfectiōn-, dēfectiō "falling short, failure, abandonment of allegiance," from dēficere "to be lacking, fail, become disaffected, go over (to the side of an opponent)" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at deficient

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First Known Use: 1532

in the meaning defined above

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