as in deserter
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
the defector demanded political asylum in exchange for information about his nation's spying operations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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Russia is also reported to have forcibly sent hundreds of its military deserters to the front line in Ukraine.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025 -
Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC News,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But that guy was a traitor, feeding information (false, in this case) to the Empire, so Saw shoots him, not Wilmon!—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
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The American president is a traitor to the democratic world.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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His band of renegades is deeply committed to their mission and the members enjoy working together to overcome obstacles.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Sure enough, the red-haired renegade formerly known as Sin Rostro played another troublemaker on the ABC procedural.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Despite all their years of playing cat-and-mouse, Diego Luna’s rebel spy Cassian Andor and Kyle Soller‘s Empire agent Syril Karn have never had much screen time together — until now.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
7 May 2025
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Israel has repeatedly targeted the rebels in Yemen.—
Elena Becatoros,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2025
Noun
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As threats from insurgents faded, crackdowns by an authoritarian government surged.—
Mitra Taj,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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As a result, the new international legal architecture curbed starvation tactics in interstate wars and during occupations but stopped short of fully criminalizing the weapon, particularly when used by poorer states against insurgent groups in civil wars.—
Boyd van Dijk,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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