DEFECTING Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

defecting 1 of 2

adjective

as in apostate

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Dissimilar Words

defecting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of defect

as in emigrating

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defecting

Adjective

The president can call out the army against seceding states and their renegade congresspeople.

— Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
As a substitute, the district had hired a renegade hippie, Bromley Stokes, who’d recently washed up in town.

— Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Definition of renegade

Verb

But emigrating or going to a big city, if everyone does that, then the area doesn’t have a chance to regenerate.

— Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
The digital content marketer, who describes himself as a pacifist, says this was his second attempt at emigrating.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of emigrating

Adjective

Greater institutional participation in tokenized equity markets could contribute to additional trading activity and liquidity, potentially affecting price formation during weekend and other nontraditional trading periods.

— William Jones, IndyStar, 18 Sep. 2026
Kading said a handful of things are needed for a perfect Oktoberfest, like beer, authentic food, games and polka music – in addition to a mix of nontraditional items.

— Blaise Mesa, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of nontraditional

Verb

Venus has everything to do with our finances and relationships, and when journeying through this Water sign, there is an undeniable aura of intensity surrounding these areas of life.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026
Many of the missing are Hindu pilgrims, who were journeying to Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude site in Tibet revered by Hindus and Buddhists.

— Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of journeying

Verb

There was something a bit off about Oasis’ sometimes feuding-yet-touring brothers in the Saturday Night Live UK cold open this week.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2026
Because standup basses are hard to travel with, touring jazz musicians like Hsu who are performing in Miami often rent from Winters.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of touring

Verb

Soon, crew who had been traveling on the plane stepped in to stabilize it, issuing a mayday call and seeking a place to land.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Two people died and one remains missing after a medical transport helicopter traveling from Catalina Island to the mainland crashed into the Pacific on Wednesday; two others were rescued and stable.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of traveling

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“Defecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defecting. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defecting

adjective

verb

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