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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defector
Noun
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Russia is also reported to have forcibly sent hundreds of its military deserters to the front line in Ukraine.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025 -
Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC News,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Stephen Fry, Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed and singer Paloma Faith are just three of the 19 celebs entering the castle to sniff out the traitors from the faithfuls in the first celebrity season of the smash hit on the BBC.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 May 2025
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The former sees the latter as a pro-European traitor and а success symbol born of the imperial decline that Soviet-era bureaucrats have yet to accept.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
Noun
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His band of renegades is deeply committed to their mission and the members enjoy working together to overcome obstacles.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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Sure enough, the red-haired renegade formerly known as Sin Rostro played another troublemaker on the ABC procedural.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Set in a crumbling Japanese metropolis rebuilt after a devastating explosion, Akira follows teenage rebels Kaneda and Tetsuo as secret government experiments unleash psychic forces capable of unmaking the world.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
21 May 2025
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In response, the commanders decide to meet in Washington D.C., and Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) finally chooses a side once and for all and gives up their plan to June (Elisabeth Moss) and the fellow rebels.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
Noun
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As threats from insurgents faded, crackdowns by an authoritarian government surged.—
Mitra Taj,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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As a result, the new international legal architecture curbed starvation tactics in interstate wars and during occupations but stopped short of fully criminalizing the weapon, particularly when used by poorer states against insurgent groups in civil wars.—
Boyd van Dijk,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Defector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defector. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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