DEFECT (FROM) Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

defect (from)

verb

di-ˈfekt

Definition of defect (from)

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect (from)

Verb

Mbappe wasn’t the worst of France’s attackers and never stopped trying to turn the tide, but his quality deserted him.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Over the next two decades, records are few, most of them noting criminal convictions for fighting in bars, stealing a watch, deserting a whaling ship, and beating his wife.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of desert

Verb

The boxing ring metaphor was largely abandoned once the competition began, even though there were more opportunities to mix baseball’s tradition of walkup music with fight sports’ swaggering walkouts.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
Critics of the deal hope that the lawsuit will force Paramount to abandon its merger dreams altogether, though that seems hard to imagine, and would leave WBD in a weak position.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of abandon

Verb

Netanyahu had rejected any role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority (without publicly endorsing an alternative).

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Conversely, when a judge rejects a motion for an injunction, companies can move to complete a takeover deal quickly.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

D4vd then allegedly cut off her left ring and pinky fingers because her ring finger had a tattoo of his name.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Fenced in and barred from foraging, fishing, hunting, and farming, Indigenous peoples were intentionally cut off from the calorie-rich landscapes that had fed them for millennia.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Definition of cut off

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defected (from)

defect (from)

defecting

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“Defect (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect%20%28from%29. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of defect (from)

verb

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