as in deserted
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 defected (from)
Verb
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Idle oil wells cleanup Senate Bill 47 raises the cap on how much money from the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund can be spent to plug and cleanup deserted oil wells, according to the California State Senate website.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 22,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026 -
But classrooms sat half-empty and the playground was deserted.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And Sylvie, who still gazes with utmost tenderness at a black-and-white photograph, taken during her time abroad, of a nameless wailing Russian child, has permanently abandoned her own daughter by refusing to visit her.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Those plans were set aside, however, when Diamantis arrived in federal court earlier this month for a hearing and abandoned a plan to change his plea to guilty.—
Andrew Brown,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Verb
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At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.—
Anne M. Peterson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Voters in a 1986 retention election rejected Rose Bird, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and two liberal colleagues, over dissatisfaction with decisions overturning numerous death penalty sentences.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Skydio has warned against relying on international suppliers after the drone maker was cut off from its supply of Chinese batteries when it was blacklisted by Beijing in October, the Wall Street Journal reported.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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The war has also cut off jet fuel supplies.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defected (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defected%20%28from%29. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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