desert

⁴de·sert

verb \di-ˈzərt\

Definition of DESERT

transitive verb

1

: to withdraw from or leave usually without intent to return <desert a town>

2

a : to leave in the lurch <desert a friend in trouble> b : to abandon (military service) without leave

intransitive verb

: to quit one's post, allegiance, or service without leave or justification; especially : to abandon military duty without leave and without intent to return

— de·sert·er noun

Examples of DESERT

1. The inhabitants had deserted the town.
2. She had been married for just over a year when her husband deserted her.
3. He was deserted by his friends and family.
4. Boulet saw his longtime partner desert him in the midst of the storm, then had his wife and daughter skip town in its aftermath. —Mike Flaherty, TV Guide, 10-16 Sept. 2007
5. Left alone for a moment, he feels mournful, bereft—and then panicky, when he thinks he has been deserted again. —Richard Corliss, Time, 7 Mar. 2005
6. But now the building seemed deserted at two in the afternoon, and I soon learned that the paper, incredibly, was forced to advertise for applicants to the staff. —Arthur Miller, Timebends,1987

Origin of DESERT

French déserter, from Late Latin desertare, frequentative of Latin deserere

First Known Use: 1603

Related to DESERT

Synonyms: defect (from), rat (on)

Antonyms: reclaim

Related Words: abandon, abdicate, abjure, apostatize, cut off, disown, forsake, quit, reject, renounce, repudiate, spurn; renege; depart, go, leave, withdraw

Near Antonyms: adhere (to), cling (to), stick (to or with); cherish, cultivate, foster

see all synonyms and antonyms

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See Synonym Discussion at abandon