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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defecting (from)
Verb
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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
Verb
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King has some sympathy for institutions that are genuinely in jeopardy, and not just abandoning their principles out of fear—like colleges and universities.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
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But the biological concerns didn’t seem to have been the primary driver behind abandoning a primo spot on Tuesday night.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Verb
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But the system kept rejecting it, saying my Colorado driver license wasn’t from the United States.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
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When Nita rebuffs the advances of the lightweight cad Christophe (who’s Pierre’s brother), that’s the one focused emotion in the movie — a woman rejecting workplace harassment.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Among the opening acts of World War I, Britain severed Germany’s key telegraph cables, cutting off its communications with its forces.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
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That includes Moscow cutting off natural gas supplies to Europe in retaliation for sanctions the West imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
17 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defecting (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defecting%20%28from%29. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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