defected
Americanadjective
-
having deserted a country, cause, etc., especially in order to adopt another.
In the movie White Nights, a defected Soviet dancer is returned to his motherland when the plane he’s on is forced to land in Russia.
verb
Etymology
Origin of defected
First recorded in 1585–95; defect + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; defect + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
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.
These reporters joined a Reform councillor, Alan Feeney, in Solihull, in the West Midlands, where he was campaigning to retain his seat on the council, having defected from the Conservative Party in 2025.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Laura Anne Jones is a former Conservative who defected to Reform in the summer of 2025.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 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
Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines Lab co-founder who abruptly defected to OpenAI this year amid a dispute with Chief Executive Mira Murati, has changed employers again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
My mother embraced Edward after he defected from Dauntless.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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