dereliction
noun
der·e·lic·tion
ˌder-ə-ˈlik-shən 
ˌde-rə-
1
a
: an intentional abandonment
b
: the state of being abandoned
2
: a recession of water leaving permanently dry land
3
a
: intentional or conscious neglect : delinquency
dereliction of duty
b
: fault, shortcoming
Examples of dereliction in a Sentence
the dereliction of a cause by its leaders
The officer was formally charged with dereliction of duty.
a serious dereliction of duty
Recent Examples on the Web
Although McConnell endorsed Trump in March, their relationship has been rocky since the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, calling the former president's actions a 'disgraceful dereliction of duty.'
More:RNC 2024 live updates: What time is the convention?
—
Rachel Barber, USA TODAY, 16 July 2024
Ed Nelson, the CEO of Whataburger, has been eager to soak up the goodwill left by a dereliction of government duty.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 11 July 2024
Block by block, the city is reclaiming itself from dereliction.
—Timothy O'Grady, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2024
That dereliction of duties has upset the Constitution’s separation of powers, which anticipated an equilibrium between the three branches to protect liberty.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 7 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for dereliction 
Rachel Barber, USA TODAY, 16 July 2024
Ed Nelson, the CEO of Whataburger, has been eager to soak up the goodwill left by a dereliction of government duty.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 11 July 2024
Block by block, the city is reclaiming itself from dereliction.
—Timothy O'Grady, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 July 2024
That dereliction of duties has upset the Constitution’s separation of powers, which anticipated an equilibrium between the three branches to protect liberty.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 7 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for dereliction
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dereliction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dereliction
Cite this Entry
“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dereliction. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dereliction
noun
der·e·lic·tion
ˌder-ə-ˈlik-shən
1
: the act of abandoning : the state of being abandoned
the dereliction of a cause by its leaders
2
: neglect of one's duty
Legal Definition
dereliction
noun
der·e·lic·tion
ˌder-ə-ˈlik-shən
1
a
: an intentional abandonment
b
: a state of being abandoned
2
: a recession of water leaving permanently dry land
3
: an intentional or conscious neglect
dereliction of duty
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