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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Streets of the town were deserted Friday, many homes had their curtains drawn and shops were closed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026 -
Cillian Murphy starred in the inaugural film of the series, 28 Days Later (2002), as Jim, who wakes up from a coma to find a once-bustling London deserted amidst a Rage Virus outbreak that began four weeks earlier.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Eli, who was adopted by a white woman as a child, has mostly abandoned any ties to his ethnic background.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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Forensic experts testified that tiny fragments of flesh found inside William McGuire’s abandoned Nissan Maxima belonged to the victim and were not consistent with material shed by a living person.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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More than 300 district judges in Minnesota and elsewhere have so far rejected the government’s mandatory detention policies, ordering detainees released or granted bond hearings.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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That happened recently in Kansas City – where voters rejected a new stadium – and Philadelphia, where the team reversed its decision to build the arena near the city’s Chinatown.—
Gidon Jakar,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Viktor Gyokeres’ access was cut off, and, save for a few long balls to Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal struggled to get past Chelsea’s final line.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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The Islamic Republic has shut down the internet and cut off telephone communications, paralyzing the country.—
Shahrnush Parsipur,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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“Defected (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defected%20%28from%29. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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