Words / B2

di-FEKT-uh/dɪˈfektə/

A defector is a person who leaves a country, party, or cause to join an opposing one: a high-profile defector; defect to. Defect is the verb; deserter is a military twin; refugee stresses flight from danger, not always a switch of side. Name the defector in the source, then the year. Mix-up: defector vs detector (this batch); defect (a fault); do not write defector for an ordinary emigrant with no opposing side named.

Meaning

A person who leaves a country, party, or cause to join an opposing one.

Examples

• “Name the defector in the source, then the year, the history paper said.”
• “A party defector featured in the whip’s list, which is the political sense — still name the new party.”

Good to know

a defector from / to; defect to. Military twin: deserter. Contrast: refugee / emigrant. Trap: detector / a product fault. History and citizenship. Someone who switches side — name the year and the new side.

Near in meaning

deserter, turncoat, renegade

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