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

Aden's airport was deserted after the Houthi warning, airport employee Salem Al-Awlaqi told The Associated Press.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Propped up by strong finishing, Tottenham were on 11 points at this stage a year ago, but soon reverted to their relegation-battling baseline once that ruthlessness deserted them.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of desert

Verb

But big pharmaceutical companies have largely abandoned the quest for new antibiotics, because the research and development needed to discover them is time-consuming and expensive.

— Zoë Schiffer, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026
They are joined by other Democrats who have spent years trying to push the party to abandon its more cautious approach to governing, and could now get their chance.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandon

Verb

Police in South Africa have arrested five suspects in connection with a violent farm robbery in the North West province in which a 50-year-old farmer was shot and had his ears cut off.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
The village of Chama in New Mexico was evacuated and cut off by road closures.

— Christopher Weber, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of defect (from)

verb

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