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

A managing director in Blue Owl’s Tokyo office defected to Benefit Street Partners, while a managing director in institutional funds went to Pimco and a principal in the private-wealth unit took a job at KKR.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Laura Anne Jones is a former Conservative who defected to Reform in the summer of 2025.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The book’s title refers to the Soviet agent Oleg Lyalin, a relatively low-level but irrepressibly ambitious KGB operative who defected to Britain in 1971.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Montgomerie defected from the Tories 18 months ago but was suspended from Reform UK last month after he criticised senior figures.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Later, Celia would learn with sadness that the girl had defected while on tour in Oaxaca and was playing a psychotic housewife on a popular Mexican novela.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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