defected

[dih-fek-tid] / dɪˈfɛk tɪd /

VERB

break from belief, faith

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abandon abscond depart desert pull out quit reject renounce revolt withdraw

STRONG

apostatize forsake go lapse leave rat rebel renege schism spurn tergiversate turn

WEAK

back out break faith change sides fall away from go back on go over go over the fence run out sell out take a walk tergiverse turn coat walk out on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

allow approve come continue persevere remain stay support

WEAK

come in join

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

defected

Several lawmakers from across the political spectrum have defected to the Liberals in the past year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Kendall had been a key backer of Democrat Andrew Jackson in the 1828 election, having defected from Henry Clay’s Whigs.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

OpenAI took potshots at Apple in its filing, citing 400 employees who have defected from the iPhone-maker to join its ranks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Even after Ronaldo left for Real Madrid in 2009, and Tevez defected to the other side of Manchester, Ferguson continued winning titles until he retired in 2013.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Philby had not yet been revealed as a Soviet spy, but two of his colleagues, Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess, had just defected to the Soviet Union.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell