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
Note the poster of the defector Mikhail Baryshnikov hawking Crime and Punishment.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
Anthropic, whose ranks include many safety-minded defectors from its rival, argues the slower rollout will help society adapt to the powerful new tools.
—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Daisy appears to be a Canadian defector hoping for acceptance within Gilead, but she’s actually been recruited as a spy by Moss, who continues her role as June Osborne from The Handmaid’s Tale.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
The Cubs sign Cuban defector Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract worth $30 million.
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Disclosure Day, based on an original story by Spielberg, centers on a decades-long government conspiracy to cover up the existence of alien life, and the group of defectors intent on releasing that intel to the public.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
Heck, our homegrown liberal media and the city of San Francisco even celebrated Olympic defectors like Eileen Gu, who was paid by the Chinese Communist Party to compete for them in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—
Jon Root Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Anthropic, the lab founded by its own defectors, confidentially filed this week at a near $1 trillion valuation.
—
Rory McDonald,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
While that's a steep legislative hill, a sizeable group of Republican senators has openly complained about the fund, leaving open the possibility that Democrats could lure across the aisle an embarrassing number of GOP defectors.
—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
Anthropic, whose ranks include many safety-minded defectors from its rival, argues the slower rollout will help society adapt to the powerful new tools.
—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Daisy appears to be a Canadian defector hoping for acceptance within Gilead, but she’s actually been recruited as a spy by Moss, who continues her role as June Osborne from The Handmaid’s Tale.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
The Cubs sign Cuban defector Jorge Soler to a nine-year contract worth $30 million.
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Disclosure Day, based on an original story by Spielberg, centers on a decades-long government conspiracy to cover up the existence of alien life, and the group of defectors intent on releasing that intel to the public.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
Heck, our homegrown liberal media and the city of San Francisco even celebrated Olympic defectors like Eileen Gu, who was paid by the Chinese Communist Party to compete for them in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—
Jon Root Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Anthropic, the lab founded by its own defectors, confidentially filed this week at a near $1 trillion valuation.
—
Rory McDonald,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
While that's a steep legislative hill, a sizeable group of Republican senators has openly complained about the fund, leaving open the possibility that Democrats could lure across the aisle an embarrassing number of GOP defectors.
—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.
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The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.
Noun
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Harper suspects Bichette, after seven seasons in Toronto, won’t be treated as a traitor.
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In other words, had become a traitor.
Noun
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There are Sixties rock bands like the Sonics and the Small Faces, and pioneering hippie renegades like Love or the Thirteenth Floor Elevators.
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The president can call out the army against seceding states and their renegade congresspeople.
Noun
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Gillespie also has a reputation for melding music to movies, as seen in Cruella, his 2021 movie that cast Disney villainess Cruella de Vil as a punk rock rebel in London’s fashion scene.
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The winner is the daughter of the late Alberto Fujimori, the former president whose government in the 1990s defeated the Shining Path extremist rebel group but also took an authoritarian turn.
Noun
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Gray is endorsed by Kansas City’s branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, and represents the insurgent left flank of the Democratic Party in the race.
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Out went what was left of country-club Republicanism; in came the Fifth Avenue insurgent and his MAGA hordes.
Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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