n.
Pronunciation: di- ' fekt
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Latin defectus, past participle of deficere
Date: 1596
1 : to forsake one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology
2 : to leave one situation (as a job) often to go over to a rival <the reporter defect ed to another network>
– de · fec · tor \ - ' fek-t ə r \ noun