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

Garcia was sanctioned by the DP World Tour for breaking its rules when he defected to LIV, making him ineligible for the 2023 Ryder Cup.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Feeney, who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform last year, was elected to the Shard End ward on Birmingham City Council in May.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

To reinvigorate demand among consumers who have defected to nimble local competitors, Sparks is touring cities to study fitness trends and dramatically expanding Nike’s local product-creation team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 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

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

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