defect (from)

verb

di-ˈfekt How to pronounce defect (from) (audio)
Definition of defect (from)next
as in to desert
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another soldiers defected from the rebel army en masse as the failure of their cause became apparent

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect (from)
  1. desert
  2. abandon
  3. reject
  4. cut off
Verb
  • The Greek Orthodox church was deserted, too, as was its cobblestone courtyard, where my father and his sister had raced each other on their blue bicycles.
    Youmna Melhem Chamieh, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
  • Last month, an entire regiment of more than 1,000 troops deserted the Russian army, according to reports.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of desert
Verb
  • Gentle' Earlier this week, a dog and her four newborn puppies were found abandoned at the side of a highway close to where the wildfires were raging.
    Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
  • But the consistent presence of drug rehabilitation and criminal offenses dominating the background of potential candidates for the award led the league to eventually abandon it.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • In 2023, Cleveland-Cliffs made a $7 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel, but the offer was rejected.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
  • By March, 2014, all but one of the publishers had rejected the book, and Kim and Freeman parted ways.
    Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of reject
Verb
  • TikTok and content creators on the app argued the ban violates their First Amendment rights by cutting off all speech on the platform, while the federal government argued the ban is necessary for national security, given ByteDance’s Chinese ownership.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Kira Weibel was in eighth grade when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the student’s Altadena charter school, cutting off critical community connections.
    Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Definition of cut off
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near defect (from)

defected (from)

defect (from)

defecting

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Cite this Entry

“Defect (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defect%20%28from%29. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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