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.
Several lawmakers from across the political spectrum have defected to the Liberals in the past year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The book’s title refers to the Soviet agent Oleg Lyalin, a relatively low-level but irrepressibly ambitious KGB operative who defected to Britain in 1971.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, one of 34 Reform MSs elected in May's Senedd election, defected to Plaid on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Montgomerie defected from the Tories 18 months ago but was suspended from Reform UK last month after he criticised senior figures.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Later, Celia would learn with sadness that the girl had defected while on tour in Oaxaca and was playing a psychotic housewife on a popular Mexican novela.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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