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.
One North Korean, who defected while studying in Poland in 1989, put it more succinctly: “When I was in North Korea, I thought Kim Il Sung was God.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Mr. Magyar defected to the opposition Tisza party, buoying it in the 2024 European Parliament elections to win more than 29% of the vote, second only to Fidesz.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
Five players defected from the Iran women’s soccer team Monday after the team’s final match in the Asian Women’s Cup in Australia and have applied for asylum with the Australian Federal Police, according to reports.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
Roberto Vannacci, 57, last month defected from the far-right League party, a partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government, and set up a new party he said is "proud of being right-wing".
From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026
My mother embraced Edward after he defected from Dauntless.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
