DEFECTOR Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

defector

noun

Definition of defector

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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defector Note the poster of the defector Mikhail Baryshnikov hawking Crime and Punishment. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 Anthropic, whose ranks include many safety-minded defectors from its rival, argues the slower rollout will help society adapt to the powerful new tools. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2026 Daisy appears to be a Canadian defector hoping for acceptance within Gilead, but she’s actually been recruited as a spy by Moss, who continues her role as June Osborne from The Handmaid’s Tale. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 June 2026 The Cubs sign Cuban defector Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract worth $30 million. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 Disclosure Day, based on an original story by Spielberg, centers on a decades-long government conspiracy to cover up the existence of alien life, and the group of defectors intent on releasing that intel to the public. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 Heck, our homegrown liberal media and the city of San Francisco even celebrated Olympic defectors like Eileen Gu, who was paid by the Chinese Communist Party to compete for them in the 2026 Winter Olympics. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2026 Anthropic, the lab founded by its own defectors, confidentially filed this week at a near $1 trillion valuation. — Rory McDonald, Fortune, 6 June 2026 While that's a steep legislative hill, a sizeable group of Republican senators has openly complained about the fund, leaving open the possibility that Democrats could lure across the aisle an embarrassing number of GOP defectors. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector

Noun

And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 7 Mar. 2026

Definition of deserter

Noun

The king refused to look at it, and issued the Proclamation of Rebellion, declaring the colonists traitors and hiring 30,000 German mercenaries to help crush them.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 4 July 2026
Harper suspects Bichette, after seven seasons in Toronto, won’t be treated as a traitor.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 29 June 2026

Definition of traitor

Noun

There are Sixties rock bands like the Sonics and the Small Faces, and pioneering hippie renegades like Love or the Thirteenth Floor Elevators.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2026
The president can call out the army against seceding states and their renegade congresspeople.

— Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

Definition of renegade

Noun

Mali’s junta has accused Algeria of backing local extremist rebels who are linked to the Muslim militant group al-Qaida.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
That was the year the United States went to war with Spain in Cuba alongside Cuban and Puerto Rican rebels and in the Philippines.

— Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

Fujimori, 51, is the daughter of late President Alberto Fujimori, who governed the country with an iron fist from 1990 to 2000 and was credited with defeating Maoist insurgents and taming runaway hyperinflation.

— Reuters, NBC news, 4 July 2026
Syria has been without a parliament since the December 2024 offensive by insurgents led by al-Sharaa’s now defunct Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which ended the Assad family’s five-decade dynasty.

— Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Definition of insurgent

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“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of defector

noun

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