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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect (from)
Verb
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Zoppo-Sassu was a city council member at the time, and vividly recalls how the failing mall was largely deserted, casting a pall over all of downtown.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
10 June 2026 -
Further up Lake Street, there are signs of a slow recovery at the Plaza Mexico, with customers sitting at tables that were deserted during the winter.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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In 2018, Business Insider reported that the iconic 300,000-square-foot Lisa Frank factory in Tucson was abandoned and for sale for $17 million.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
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By 1624, however, it was largely abandoned, and Gothenburg began to rise in its place.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Israel’s request to see the text was rejected by the US, an Israeli source told CNN.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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The legal case, decided at an emergency hearing in a Los Angeles courthouse on Monday morning, was brought by an Iranian fan who said FIFA’s block impinged freedom of speech, but the judge rejected that argument.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Experts warn other delivery platforms and foreign companies, including a major Spanish hotel chain already downsizing, may retreat from Cuba, cutting off lifelines for families amid shortages and blackouts.—
Gisela Salomon,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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Throughout the episode, Whoopi Goldberg struggled to cut to commercial break, repeatedly having to cut off her co-hosts in heated interactions with the vice president.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defect (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect%20%28from%29. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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