defector

noun

Definition of defectornext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
  1. deserter
  2. traitor
  3. renegade
  4. rebel
  5. insurgent
Noun
  • Knight, a Mississippi farmer and Confederate deserter, led a rebellion against the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
    Travis Bean, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
  • Because of the security risks faced by Russian deserters, pseudonyms are used throughout.
    Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024
Definition of deserter
Noun
  • Like Trump, Carlson appeals to his base by positioning himself as a class traitor—not a man of the people, exactly, but an apostate from the cosmopolitan élite.
    Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Cumming will lead a new group of 21 traitors from across a variety of other reality series.
    Anne Easton, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Definition of traitor
Noun
  • Draped in a black leather vest and pants, while sporting dark shades and a bucket hat, the reggaetón renegade exuded rugged charisma.
    Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
  • Still, a new report in a U.K. news outlet suggests that Harry and his American wife Meghan, renegade members of the British royal family who’ve been living in California, have decided to try and regain a foothold in Europe by buying a home in Portugal.
    Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of renegade
Noun
  • The rebels have threatened new attacks in response to Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon and its killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
    Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
  • The Israel-Hamas war has intensified other conflicts in the Middle East, including attacks on international shipping lanes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
    Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 14 Oct. 2024
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • Boko Haram is a Nigerian insurgent group that started fighting in 2009 to oppose Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law.
    Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Republicans didn't plan on spending millions of dollars to defend Senator Deb Fischer, but Osborne's insurgent campaign has taken off.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2024
Definition of insurgent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near defector

defectiveness

defector

defectors

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on defector

Nglish: Translation of defector for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of defector for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...