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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Members of the Rwandan diaspora are regularly contacted by army deserters asking for help.—
Michela Wrong,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Mar. 2025 -
Against overwhelming odds, Scott dares the unthinkable — cross behind enemy lines, survive the lethal landscape, evade capture by ruthless enemies, resist natural predators, face human deserters and finish the mission singlehandedly.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The American president is a traitor to the democratic world.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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If that isn’t pressure enough, the women are faced with a mysterious traitor who emerges, years later, as the three friends are torn apart.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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While one reading of Xi is that his rhetoric is in part a strategic move to burnish Chinese power globally, labeling Taiwan as a renegade or breakaway province is, for many, a clear indication of an intention to invade and bring the island within the geography of Chinese sovereignty.—
Colin Flint,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2025
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The renegades were attempting to void the ACC’s grant-of-rights agreement, which would clear them to join the SEC or Big Ten.—
Jon Wilner,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In confrontations with both India and Iran, Pakistan has consistently denied offering safe haven to transnational rebels at a time when the country was struggling to stem a deadly wave of attacks by insurgents against its own soldiers and civilians.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.—
Aijaz Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, the insurgents attacking the American soldiers are truly faceless.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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