defection
noun
de·fec·tion
di-ˈfek-shən 
: conscious abandonment of allegiance or duty (as to a person, cause, or doctrine) : desertion
Examples of defection in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Erdogan’s party appeared to suffer from defections, including from an Islamist party that had criticized the Turkish leader for not breaking off economic ties with Israel during the war in Gaza and garnered more than 6 percent of the national vote.
—
Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
The junta also needs manpower to replace losses and defections.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
If the royals are silent film stars, as British playwright Bonnie Greer once noted, their cast has been dramatically diminished after the deaths of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the defection of Prince Harry and Meghan to Montecito, plus the disgracing of Prince Andrew.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024
Kamala’s staff defection rate is so high that the Government Printing Office is bleeding more money than the U.S. Postal Service just printing new business cards for her replacement staff.
—Ron Hart, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2024
But unlike last week, when the Republican defections were enough to sink the bill, leaders had just enough members present on Tuesday to eke out approval of the charges — albeit by the narrowest of margins.
—Karoun Demirjian, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024
Well, he's lost back-to-back votes on big issues because of defections from his own members.
—USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Johnson can only afford a handful of Republican defections for the vote to succeed.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2024
Those results followed years of Republican atrophy in such areas, culminating in 2020 losses in key swing states fueled by defections from voters living near major cities like Atlanta, Phoenix and beyond.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2024
Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
The junta also needs manpower to replace losses and defections.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
If the royals are silent film stars, as British playwright Bonnie Greer once noted, their cast has been dramatically diminished after the deaths of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the defection of Prince Harry and Meghan to Montecito, plus the disgracing of Prince Andrew.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024
Kamala’s staff defection rate is so high that the Government Printing Office is bleeding more money than the U.S. Postal Service just printing new business cards for her replacement staff.
—Ron Hart, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2024
But unlike last week, when the Republican defections were enough to sink the bill, leaders had just enough members present on Tuesday to eke out approval of the charges — albeit by the narrowest of margins.
—Karoun Demirjian, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024
Well, he's lost back-to-back votes on big issues because of defections from his own members.
—USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Johnson can only afford a handful of Republican defections for the vote to succeed.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2024
Those results followed years of Republican atrophy in such areas, culminating in 2020 losses in key swing states fueled by defections from voters living near major cities like Atlanta, Phoenix and beyond.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defection.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near defection
Cite this Entry
“Defection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defection. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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