Definition of DEFECTOR

carefully inspect a tire for defects

examined the porcelain for defects

a moral defect in his nature

: to forsake one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology

: to leave one situation (such as a job) often to go over to a rival

Noun

They examine their products for defects. She was born with a heart defect. Vanity and pride were his two worst character defects. Verb

The Russian scholar defected in 1979. She defected from the conservative party. He defected to the West before the war began. The reporter defected to another TV network.

Recent Examples on the Web

About 1 percent of vehicles being recalled are affected by the defect, according to a notice issued Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025 Teslas have infamously run right into the broadsides of trucks on Autopilot, but it’s been regularly ruled that is not any sort of defect in Autopilot, which is not designed to be or expected to be perfect at that task. —Brad Templeton, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

The film itself follows Captain Willard’s journey down the river to track down the defecting Colonel Kurtz. —Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025 As a result, the congress crafted a settlement that was reactionary and conservative in the worst sense of the term, leading some countries (France and the United Kingdom) to defect and others to engage in revolution. —G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for defect

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Latin dēfectus "failure, absence, lack, weakness," from dēficere "to be lacking, run short, weaken, fail" + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at deficient

Verb

borrowed from Latin dēfectus, past participle of dēficere "to be lacking, fail, become disaffected, go over (to the side of an opponent)" — more at deficient

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of defect was in the 15th century