| Main Entry: | apostatize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | defect |
Synonyms: |
abandon, break faith, change sides, desert, fall away from, reject, renounce, sell out, stray, tergiversate |
| Main Entry: | backslide |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | go astray |
Synonyms: |
apostatize, deviate, fall from grace, lapse, leave the straight and narrow, relapse, revert, sin, slip |
| Main Entry: | defect |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | break from belief, faith |
Synonyms: |
abandon, abscond, apostatize, back out, break faith, change sides, depart, desert, fall away from, forsake, go, go back on, go over, go over the fence, lapse, leave, pull out, quit, rat, rebel, reject, renege, renounce, revolt, run out, schism, sell out, spurn, take a walk, tergiversate, tergiverse, turn, turn coat, walk out on, withdraw |
Antonyms: |
come in, join |
| Main Entry: | desert |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | abandon, defect |
Synonyms: |
abscond, apostatize, bail out, beach, betray, bolt, check out*, chuck, cop out, crawl out, decamp, depart, duck*, escape, flee, fly, forsake, give up, go, go AWOL, go back on, go over the hill, go west, jilt, leave, leave high and dry, leave in the lurch, leave stranded, light, maroon, opt out, play truant, pull out, quit, relinquish, renounce, resign, run out on, sneak off, split*, strand, take a hike, take off, tergiversate, throw over, vacate, violate oath, walk |
| Notes: | that impoverished stretch of sand called a desert can only afford one 's'; that rich gooey extra thing at the end of the meal called a dessert indulges in two of them |
Antonyms: |
aid, assist, come back, help, stay, support |
| Main Entry: | lapse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | become void; fall back into previous pattern |
Synonyms: |
apostatize, backslide, become obsolete, cease, decline, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, die, elapse, end, expire, go by, pass, recede, recidivate, relapse, retrograde, return, revert, run out, slide, slip, subside, terminate, weaken |
Antonyms: |
continue, go on, restart |
| Main Entry: | recant |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | take back something said |
Synonyms: |
abjure, abnegate, abrogate, annul, apostatize, back down, back off, back out, backtrack, call back, cancel, contradict, countermand, deny, dial back, disavow, disclaim, disown, eat one's words, forswear, go back on one's word, nullify, recall, renege, renounce, repeal, repudiate, rescind, retract, revoke, take back, unsay, void, weasel out, welsh, withdraw, worm out of |
Antonyms: |
confirm, emphasize, recapitulate |
| Main Entry: | repudiate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | reject; turn one's back on |
Synonyms: |
abandon, abjure, apostatize, banish, be against, break with, cast, cast off, cut off, decline, default, defect, demur, deny, desert, disacknowledge, disapprove, disavow, discard, disclaim, dishonor, disinherit, dismiss, disown, dump, flush*, fly in the face of, forsake, nix, oust, rat, recant, refuse, renounce, repeal, reprobate, rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, spurn, tergiversate, tergiverse, turn, turn down, wash one's hands of |
Antonyms: |
admit, approve |
| Main Entry: | secede |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pull away; split from |
Synonyms: |
abdicate, apostatize, break with, disaffiliate, leave, quit, resign, retire, retract, retreat, separate, withdraw |
Antonyms: |
combine, come in, join, unite |
| Main Entry: | turn |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | change one's mind; defect |
Synonyms: |
apostatize, bring round, change sides, desert, go over, influence, persuade, prejudice, prevail upon, rat, renege, renounce, repudiate, retract, talk into, tergiversate, tergiverse |
| Main Entry: | tergiversate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | abandon belief |
Synonyms: |
apostatize, defect, equivocate, hedge, renounce, shift, shuffle |