defection

noun de·fec·tion \ di-ˈfek-shən \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of defection

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

Recent Examples of defection from the Web

But its push into serious journalism eventually washed up in a sea of defections and an obsession with traffic-friendly lifestyle and health coverage.

— joe pompeo, vanityfair.com, "Can Oath, the Arranged Media Marriage of Yahoo and AOL, Avoid a Rough Divorce?," 16 Aug. 2017
But its push into serious journalism eventually washed up in a sea of defections and an obsession with traffic-friendly lifestyle and health coverage.

— joe pompeo, The Hive, "Can Oath, the Arranged Media Marriage of Yahoo and AOL, Avoid a Rough Divorce?," 16 Aug. 2017
The number of defections from the council climbed over the course of the week, as my colleague Annie Lowrey chronicled.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The White House Is Under Siege," 16 Aug. 2017
But the Wildcats backpedaled to 15-17 the following season, and myriad of defections and personnel issues forced Weber to gut his roster.

— dave skretta, chicagotribune.com, "Bruce Weber gets 2-year contract extension from Kansas State," 1 Aug. 2017
Their surrogates were harsh on Fletcher, particularly on the Republican side where some seemed to take his defection personally.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Will Nathan Fletcher be the man in the middle in another election?," 23 July 2017
The news ended a string of defections that began in 2015, the year AmEx lost its largest co-brand partner, Costco Wholesale Corp., to Citigroup.

— jennifer surane, Bloomberg.com, "AmEx Starts Spending More on Reward Points to Retain Customers," 19 July 2017
Thanks to the sudden ensemble defection of Jerry Moran of Kansas and Mike Lee, the konztitooshunal skolar from Utah, Mitch McConnell's latest dead fish appears to be not merely dead, but really most sincerely dead.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Hey Mitch, Was It Worth It?," 18 July 2017
The defections of Senators Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Jerry Moran, and Susan Collins—who’d each announced opposition to the bill by Monday night—all but killed the party’s plan to replace Obamacare.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "Repeal, Replace, or Delay?," 18 July 2017

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.