defected

American  

[dih-fek-tid] / dɪˈfɛk tɪd /

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.

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verb

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

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

Peter Magyar defected from the prime minister’s party before going on to defeat him in a landslide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

He defected to Tisza, then a little-known party with scant support, but he used social media to go after Fidesz officials he accused of fueling corruption.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

A fourth MP of the current Canadian parliament has defected to join the Liberals, bringing Prime Minister Mark Carney closer to a majority in the House of Commons.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Five players defected from the Iran women’s soccer team Monday after the team’s final match in the Asian Women’s Cup in Australia and have applied for asylum with the Australian Federal Police, according to reports.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

Philby had not yet been revealed as a Soviet spy, but two of his colleagues, Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess, had just defected to the Soviet Union.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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