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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Meanwhile, Byrd’s wide dramatic palette and flexible voice make the most of thankless roles as the movement’s deserter and Montgomery’s white power brokers.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
7 June 2025 -
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
Noun
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Eric Coomer, who was the security and product strategy director at the voting equipment company, sued the MyPillow founder and conspiracy theorist for calling him a traitor and accusing him of stealing the 2020 election.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
17 June 2025
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The faithfuls must determine who the traitors are and banish them from the game in order to win the grand prize.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
Noun
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And, of course, my fantasy went right to some kind of renegade character along the lines of Saw Gerrera.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
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The director Doris Wishman was a renegade: a woman who made lurid exploitation films at a time when American underground cinema was a man’s playground.—
Erik Piepenburg,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Noun
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Yemen's Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, have continued to launch attacks in the region despite the truce, including previous drone and missile strikes targeting Israel.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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Young-il manages to separate from the group and betrays the rebels, killing two of them and faking his own death.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Widely viewed as the most powerful of a broad array of insurgent groups active in northern Syria, HTS withstood regular attacks by the Syrian military, ultimately turning the tide last December.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
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In recent years, the PKK has been limited to isolated attacks inside Turkey as the Turkish military, backed by armed drones, has pushed its insurgents increasingly across the mountainous border into Iraq.—
Suzan Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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