defected

[dih-fek-tid]

adjective

1. 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.

2. defective.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of defect.

Word History and Origins

Origin of defected¹

First recorded in 1585–95; defect + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; defect + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Two Labour councillors have defected to the Green Party, following in the footsteps of a colleague days earlier.

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In August last year a North Korean soldier defected to the South by crossing the MDL.

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Though hundreds of National Guard soldiers and police officers defected, the effort failed because high-ranking army officers commanding essential units didn’t.

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A former Conservative MP who defected to Reform UK has explained his reasons for doing so but stopped short of apologising to his constituents.

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Two councillors who defected from Conservative to Reform UK have rejected calls for one of them to resign and fight a by-election as a candidate for Nigel Farage's party.

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Related Words

• abandon 
• abscond 
• depart 
• desert 
• pull out 
• quit 
• reject 
• renounce 
• revolt 
• withdraw