defector
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- nondefector noun
- redefector noun
Etymology
Origin of defector
1655–65; < Latin dēfector renegade, rebel, equivalent to dēfec- (variant stem of dēficere to become disaffected, revolt, literally, to fail; defect ) + -tor -tor
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.
As a "settled defector" he also had his own say on what kind of security he wanted and he was clear that he did not want a new identity and a new life.
From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025
"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
The term predatory incursion is also used literally in writings of that period to refer to slightly smaller attacks like the 1781 Raid on Richmond led by American defector Benedict Arnold.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2025
When one cooperates and the other player betrays, only the defector gets the benefit.
From Science Daily • Dec. 6, 2024
It was illegal, they said, to help a defector.'
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
