DEFECTING (FROM) Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

defecting (from)

verb

present participle of defect (from)

as in deserting

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defecting (from)

Verb

Over the next two decades, records are few, most of them noting criminal convictions for fighting in bars, stealing a watch, deserting a whaling ship, and beating his wife.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
But Putin was not going to launch a new war against Turkey’s rebel allies just to save a petty dictator whose own soldiers were deserting.

— Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of deserting

Verb

Nessel says the party is abandoning civil discourse—making the August gathering a powder keg.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Not abandoning something tedious that was never wanted in the first place, but stepping away from work that was chosen and mattered, at the first small snag.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of abandoning

Verb

The issue has split circuit courts, with the 9th Circuit (which Idaho is part of) and six other circuit courts rejecting the administration’s position.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 20 Aug. 2026
These critiques assume that people rejecting vaccines have access to good information about them, but that’s not always the case, Marnik said.

— Felice J. Freyer, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

With the sole funder of the breakaway circuit cutting off the money spigot, it was speculated that LIV, or at least the current version of it, would cease to exist beyond this year.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Beijing has a history of using economic coercion, like cutting off rare-earth exports or restricting market access, as a tool of foreign policy.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of cutting off

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

defecting

defecting (from)

defection

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Defecting (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defecting%20%28from%29. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of defecting (from)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

august

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes