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 ( def 1 ).

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

This is about the Harris Republicans and just as those Reagan Democrats defected 40 years ago because they felt their party had abandoned them, the Harris Republicans are in the same position today.

From Salon

Seidel, who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris and said she has never voted for former president Donald Trump, told Salon that she defected from the Republican Party because she could no longer recognize it.

From Salon

Though some 34,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the Korean peninsula was divided more than 70 years ago, defectors seeking to return to the North are rare.

From BBC

But as suicide bombs and rocket attacks became almost daily occurrences, more and more senior staffers defected.

From Salon

The spy, who had defected to the West, and his daughter were badly injured - but a British woman died after coming into contact with Novichok.

From BBC

Related Words

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