Definition of defect (from)next
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
  • One season on our family farm, deer deserted a tree stand that had produced results for years.
    David Farbman, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Beaches near Pensacola, Florida, were mostly deserted except for tourists taking photos of the pounding surf.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Verb
  • Burke’s phone was the last device connected to the Tesla before it was abandoned, the detective said, and surveillance footage showed him near the vehicle.
    Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026
  • But the threat alone has persuaded some ships to abandon their plans to exit the Red Sea heading south.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Verb
  • The family’s case was rejected — despite being first and second generation, and despite Pedro Monasterios and his children having been recognized as citizens just a few years earlier.
    Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Recently, the Pulaski County Quorum Court rejected a measure that would have established a 12-month moratorium on new data centers within unincorporated areas of the county.
    Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • This is designed to cut off the oxygen supply – useful in kitchens, cars, camping and more.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The organisms would have to have been either blown in by the wind or left over from a time when seawater was cut off from the ocean as water levels fell and the glacier moved into place over it at some point around two million years ago.
    Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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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 5 Aug. 2026.

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