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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defecting (from)
Verb
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Some of the subpoenaed nonprofits, including FLI, Ekō, and Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology, have also been publicly critical of Musk and xAI for, among other things, neglecting or abandoning their commitments to AI safety.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025 -
The soldier said that the main concern of troops in the area is that the Ukrainian leadership will try to hold onto what remains of Pokrovsk for as long as possible because abandoning the city would be seen as a major failure.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Two in 5 Gen Zers are pursuing blue-collar work, rejecting the collegiate path and learning trades, according to a May 2025 survey of 1,434 young adults by Resume Builder.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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And the British nations, as ever, remained aloof, England rejecting a late offer to step in for Austria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The strikes on the Poltava region targeted energy infrastructure facilities, cutting off electricity, water and heating to some communities, authorities said.—
Oleksiy Pshemyskiy,
ABC News,
8 Nov. 2025
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The floods have also left 11 people missing, inundated more than 116,000 houses and 5,000 hectares of crops, and damaged roads and railways, cutting off traffic and power in several areas, the government’s disaster agency said in a report.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
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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 18 Nov. 2025.
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