defecting (from)

verb

present participle of defect (from)
as in deserting
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another soldiers defected from the rebel army en masse as the failure of their cause became apparent

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defecting (from)
  1. deserting
  2. abandoning
  3. rejecting
  4. cutting off
Verb
  • But Putin was not going to launch a new war against Turkey’s rebel allies just to save a petty dictator whose own soldiers were deserting.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of deserting
Verb
  • This is self-transcendence—not abandoning the self but expanding beyond a narrow sense of it.
    — Yujia Zhu, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • While tackling expensive debt is a smart financial decision, abandoning your retirement has consequences.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of abandoning
Verb
  • As with any tax relief company, there are complaints about the IRS rejecting a settlement or the company not getting enough relief.
    — Nick Perry, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Florida leads the nation with 375 active 287(g) agreements, and Attorney General James Uthmeier has previously threatened officials in Fort Myers and Key West with removal from office for rejecting such deals.
    — Jessica Lipscomb, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Definition of rejecting
Verb
  • On his best nights, when the velocity and command combine, Sasaki blows past batters with a triple-digit fastball and cutting off-speed pitches.
    — Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Instead, candidates’ positions on Israel and Gaza, like pledging to cosponsor legislation cutting off some weapons to Israel, are emerging as more of a credibility test, progressives said.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of cutting off
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.

Browse Nearby Words

defecting
defecting (from)
defection
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Cite this Entry

“Defecting (from).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defecting%20%28from%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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