defector
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of defector
1655–65; < Latin dēfector renegade, rebel, equivalent to dēfec- (variant stem of dēficere to become disaffected, revolt, literally, to fail; see defect) + -tor -tor
Explanation
A person who quits something, despite a perceived duty or obligation, is a defector. If you abandon the Boston Red Sox to root for the New York Yankees instead, your fellow Bostonians will consider you a defector. In politics, defectors abandon their home countries and claim allegiance to another. A person can only be a defector if the first state forbids such a change and considers it illegal or illegitimate, as the government of North Korea does when one of its citizens leaves the country. Abandoning a military post also makes someone a defector. In your life, you're more likely to be considered a defector (by some) if you change political parties or stop being a vegetarian.
Vocabulary lists containing defector
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 6
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for July 15–July 21, 2023
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for June 17–June 23, 2023
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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.
But Ian McCredie, MI6’s undercover agent in the embassy, quickly concluded that the Russian was a genuine defector with access to invaluable intelligence about KGB operations in Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Mr. Magyar, a defector from Fidesz, campaigned hard on the economy, which grew a mere 0.4% in 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
He told me they had welcomed a former Green councillor this week and would unveil a Labour defector next week.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
"They pleaded with the interviewer to promise she would return to bring them to the South," said Jang, himself a North Korean defector.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025
News arrived at MI6 headquarters in Carlton Gardens that Melinda Maclean, the wife of the Soviet spy Donald Maclean, had disappeared, perhaps seeking to join her defector husband in Moscow.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
