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
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Recent Examples of defector
Drawing at least in part on information from Chalker’s defectors, the Pentagon constructed life-size underground facsimiles of Iranian nuclear facilities where the scientists had worked, attempting to duplicate even the thickness of the walls.
—
David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Parties have mostly voted in blocks on major issues in recent years, with small numbers of defectors increasingly rare.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026
Mirrors were such a precious commodity in the heyday of the Venetian Republic that the assassins were dispatched to, well, dispatch any defectors who left La Serenissima and tried to take the secrets of creating that mesmerizing, reflective surface along with them.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Some regimes were and are particularly brutal towards defectors, not least Hungary in the 1940s.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In 2023, the island even began to allow defectors to represent the national team in the World Baseball Classic.
—Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Another pattern to watch is that of defectors from the IRGC.
—Felice Friedson, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
The documentary focuses on the Jangdaehyun School in Busan where the small student body – only 20 kids – are all defectors.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
And with members' own reelection hopes beginning to clash with some politically unpopular policies coming from the White House, the number of Republican defectors could grow as the midterm elections approach.
—CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Parties have mostly voted in blocks on major issues in recent years, with small numbers of defectors increasingly rare.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026
Mirrors were such a precious commodity in the heyday of the Venetian Republic that the assassins were dispatched to, well, dispatch any defectors who left La Serenissima and tried to take the secrets of creating that mesmerizing, reflective surface along with them.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
Some regimes were and are particularly brutal towards defectors, not least Hungary in the 1940s.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In 2023, the island even began to allow defectors to represent the national team in the World Baseball Classic.
—Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Another pattern to watch is that of defectors from the IRGC.
—Felice Friedson, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
The documentary focuses on the Jangdaehyun School in Busan where the small student body – only 20 kids – are all defectors.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
And with members' own reelection hopes beginning to clash with some politically unpopular policies coming from the White House, the number of Republican defectors could grow as the midterm elections approach.
—CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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This notably happened during the Civil War with enlistment bounties to track down deserters.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Dec. 2025
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Harry Truman granted amnesty to certain World War II deserters, while Jimmy Carter granted pardons to hundreds of thousands of individuals who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War.—
Stewart Ulrich,
The Conversation,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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After Kent’s resignation, Republican hawks denounced him as a kook and a traitor to the cause, without touching on the delicate question of why Trump appointed such a disreputable figure in the first place.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Not all marketing The renegade spirit isn't all clever marketing.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
1 Apr. 2026
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In the clip, Hart performs push-ups using 15-pound weights, incorporating renegade rows into the move.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Following the events of A Palace Near the Wind, Liu Lufeng and her siblings flee the Palace for the dangerous waters, which contain rebels, allies, and her sister Sangshu—though Sangshu’s conflicting loyalties may clash with Lufeng’s plan to keep them all safe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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An Iranian missile struck a fuel-oil tanker in Qatari waters Wednesday morning, while Houthi rebels launched a third barrage of missiles toward Israel.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The act as insurgent against privilege, set to die in the rot of reason.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Mills’s primary opponent, oyster farmer and progressive insurgent Graham Platner, echoed other outsiders last year in calling for Schumer to lose his leadership post over his government shutdown dealings with Republicans.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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