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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The same day, a judge sentenced her to serve three years of probation for abandoning Kha’liya’s body.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
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Fuqua thought about abandoning the project, but ultimately agreed to reconceive it instead.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Celtics also blocked three of the Sixers’ final four shots of the third, with Jordan Walsh, Brown and Vucevic all rejecting layups.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
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Jan Jones' embrace of Jackson could be the start of a tide of state House Republicans rejecting the lieutenant governor after years of feeling burned by his attempts to impose his will on the lower chamber.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The war has inflicted damage on the UAE’s energy infrastructure and blocked oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off a critical stream of dollar income.—
Maria Paula Mijares Torres,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
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The disease is caused by a tiny wormlike nematode that burrows into buds and leaves, cutting off photosynthesis.—
Jacob Wycoff,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 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 26 Apr. 2026.
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