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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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect (from)
Verb
  • Burrowing owls are also desert dwellers and have adapted by digging burrows underground for nesting and shelter.
    Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2025
  • But as the match progressed, Djokovic – who turned 38 on Thursday – showed the kind of resolute determination which appeared to have deserted him of late, breaking Hurkacz four times in a tiebreak after each player had held serve throughout the second set.
    Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • The number of remote job postings has declined, but this shift shouldn’t be seen as a signal to abandon what many knowledge workers value most.
    Duane Tursi, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Based on the true story of Annie Silva Pais, daughter of Portugal’s secret police chief, who abandoned her life in 1965 to join the Cuban Revolution.
    Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • But judges reviewing other eligibility cases have rejected this interpretation as construing Alston beyond its actual words.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2025
  • If the deal is rejected, athletes can adjust the terms and resubmit or seek arbitration.
    Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Elon Musk suggests creating a new political party amid Trump rift Trump threatens to cut off Musk's subsidies.
    CBS News, CBS News, 7 June 2025
  • But cutting off students and visiting scholars could hamstring the university’s research and global standing.
    Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
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 16 Jun. 2025.

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