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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Recent Examples of defector
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
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
The Cubs sign Cuban defector Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract worth $30 million.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 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
Nureyev is 23, a rebellious Soviet defector — magnetic, explosive, unstoppable.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
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
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
The Cubs sign Cuban defector Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract worth $30 million.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 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
Nureyev is 23, a rebellious Soviet defector — magnetic, explosive, unstoppable.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Both groups were accused of being spies, traitors and collaborators, according to the report.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
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He was shunned by his homeland and called a traitor.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Noun
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People didn’t come to the series with a working knowledge of the State Department, ready to see what the renegades were like.—
Debora Cahn,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Young Julian might also be surprised by how your Corpus crew, which started kind of like a renegade group of friends, now has real community impact.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Mahamat Idriss Déby, 42, seized power in Chad after his father, Idriss Déby, was killed fighting rebels in 2021, before winning elections in 2024.—
Farai Mutsaka,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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The group has been responsible for current President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s security and for fighting rebel groups.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Noun
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In 2022, French forces departed Mali as insurgents made incursions into the capital, Bamako.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
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But now the onetime insurgent sits atop a sprawling establishment.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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