DEFECTED (FROM) Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

defected (from)

verb

past tense of defect (from)

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for defected (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 deserted

Verb

The passenger voluntarily abandoned the claws at the checkpoint, the TSA said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of abandoned

Verb

The Offer At My Front Door During my time on the council, a developer appealed to us after the planning board rejected his plan for condos overlooking the largest lake in town.

— Jim Carlough, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
The bill is due before lawmakers on Tuesday, after the finance committee rejected it.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejected

Verb

Shadab completed his century by playing a late cut off Atkinson for his 12th boundary before hitting the fast bowler over long off for a six to reduce the target to three runs off the final three overs.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Sometimes that manifests in small ways, such as when media relations staffers cut off a news conference early in the hope of ingratiating themselves to a player.

— Stephanie Apstein, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of cut off

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defected

defected (from)

defect (from)

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“Defected (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defected%20%28from%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defected (from)

verb

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