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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defect (from)
Verb
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His wit hasn’t deserted him, however, which gives his hatred a poisonous potency.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2025 -
Half of the village’s houses are deserted, their inhabitants having migrated long ago to the United States.—
Aakash Hassan,
The Christian Science Monitor,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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After all, few imagined that Trump would move so swiftly to not only abandon Ukraine, but also to threaten it—undermining Ukraine’s self-defense at the very moment that defense is complicating Russian war plans.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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Housing inspectors visited rental when kids were living alone At least twice, inspectors visited a Pontiac townhome where the children were allegedly abandoned by their mother, raising questions as to whether the kids could have been found and rescued sooner.—
Gina Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Never the favorite of his party's professional advisers, Merz was twice rejected as Merkel's successor as party leader, in 2018 and 2021, before his doggedness won out in 2022.—
Thomas Escritt,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
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When this innate drive for self-expansion is unfulfilled within the current relationship, individuals may seek it elsewhere—including through infidelity. Cheating, in this case, isn’t necessarily about rejecting a relationship but about reclaiming a lost sense of self.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The flood raged for nearly 20 hours, cutting off escape routes and trapping them in a claustrophobic nightmare.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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Shortly thereafter, the allowance was cut off, von Hoffburg was arrested, and the Army held a discharge board hearing to consider whether she should be separated from the service.—
Natalie Shibley / Made by History,
TIME,
21 Feb. 2025
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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 3 Mar. 2025.
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