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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defected (from)
Verb
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The story centers on a man who travels to Pontianak carrying his deceased sister’s remains, hoping to honor her dying wishes while tracking down the father who deserted them.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025 -
In Cameroon, so many skilled officers have deserted from the military to fight for Russia in Ukraine for up to $3,000 a month, that in March, the Cameroonian government instituted a ban on uniformed men from leaving the country.—
Alia Brahimi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Murphy also attempted to debunk the DHS claims that Chicago police abandoned federal agents after the ramming incident by showing videos of Chicago police officers on scene after Martinez was shot, and clips of officers wiping their eyes after being affected by teargas deployed by agents.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
18 Oct. 2025
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Once home to 1,000 residents and 13 saloons, Garnet was once a vibrant community before it was abandoned in the 1960s.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Comey received a slight boost in his case to plead his innocence earlier this week when a judge rejected federal prosecutors’ effort to impose broad restrictions on the evidence Comey can access ahead of trial.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Oct. 2025
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The news caused Salesforce shares to surge as management rejected Wall Street’s narrative of sluggish revenue growth that’s been weighing on investor sentiment in 2025.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
18 Oct. 2025
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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 19 Oct. 2025.
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