as in discipline
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
the robbers got their just deserts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rejects
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
the volunteer became disillusioned with his candidate and deserted to a political rival
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaves
to cause to remain behind
deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deserts
Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
In a place like Reno Tahoe—nestled in between high alpine peaks and vast deserts—there are almost too many outdoor adventures to choose from.
—Ted Alvarez, Outside, 9 Mar. 2026
The narrative centers on the mercenary Dao Ma, a wandering bounty hunter who is entrusted to escort a mysterious fugitive across the treacherous Western deserts to the capital of Chang’an.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
As food supply has deteriorated and food security and deserts have increased, Statner explains that people are less inclined to cook at home and are looking for easy ways to stay healthy.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
For all its contrasts—big cities and tiny towns, beaches and deserts, honky-tonks and high-rises—the one thing that unites people across Texas is a deep sense of community.
—Kat Stinson, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
The north’s lushness is just as beautiful as the south’s deserts.
—Talla Mountjoy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
For the study, Ramesh and his colleagues tested the endurance of Deinococcus radiodurans, an exceptionally resilient bacterium found, among other places, in Chile's high-altitude deserts.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Subjecting them to extreme conditions–from the 14,000-foot ascent of Pikes Peak to the barren deserts of the Rebelle Rally.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 27 Feb. 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2025
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg, the upcoming adaptation follows a young bride named Cherry (scream queen Maika Monroe), whose husband (Amir El-Masry) deserts her in the care of the sexy Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) and her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin).
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
In California, the warning is in effect for southeastern counties, with temperatures forecast to reach 111 F in Indian Wells Valley; and 115 F in Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
By that measure, this year’s bloom falls short, but experts say what’s on display across SoCal’s deserts is still well worth the drive.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
In a place like Reno Tahoe—nestled in between high alpine peaks and vast deserts—there are almost too many outdoor adventures to choose from.
—Ted Alvarez, Outside, 9 Mar. 2026
The narrative centers on the mercenary Dao Ma, a wandering bounty hunter who is entrusted to escort a mysterious fugitive across the treacherous Western deserts to the capital of Chang’an.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026
As food supply has deteriorated and food security and deserts have increased, Statner explains that people are less inclined to cook at home and are looking for easy ways to stay healthy.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
For all its contrasts—big cities and tiny towns, beaches and deserts, honky-tonks and high-rises—the one thing that unites people across Texas is a deep sense of community.
—Kat Stinson, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026
The north’s lushness is just as beautiful as the south’s deserts.
—Talla Mountjoy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
For the study, Ramesh and his colleagues tested the endurance of Deinococcus radiodurans, an exceptionally resilient bacterium found, among other places, in Chile's high-altitude deserts.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Subjecting them to extreme conditions–from the 14,000-foot ascent of Pikes Peak to the barren deserts of the Rebelle Rally.
—Joel Feder, The Drive, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Sean, 17, deserts his post in the midst of the Iraq war and returns to England.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2025
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg, the upcoming adaptation follows a young bride named Cherry (scream queen Maika Monroe), whose husband (Amir El-Masry) deserts her in the care of the sexy Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) and her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin).
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
In California, the warning is in effect for southeastern counties, with temperatures forecast to reach 111 F in Indian Wells Valley; and 115 F in Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserts
Noun
-
There was the loss of many of the discipline engineers who were necessary to assess the labor requirements for the mission.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The board’s responsibilities include looking into the academy’s morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, financial affairs, academic methods and other matters.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If your child rejects a new dish, don't give up hope.—
Barrie Gillies,
Parents,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Many expect a work stoppage — and possibly the cancellation of games for the first time since 1995 — as the MLB owners push for a salary cap and the players union rejects one.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Still, the privacy inherent in private credit often leaves an information vacuum that observers fill with worst-case scenarios.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Tender’s assets Tender CEO Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella) engineers the downfall of co-founder Jonah Atterbury (Kal Penn) and eventually leaves Henry holding the bag for the company’s fraud.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The bill exempts the unions that represent police officers, firefighters and corrections officers, whose leaders typically support Republicans, but also applies to unions that represent nurses and utility workers.—
Steven Walker,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
-
This Harvey just silently materialized — slumped in a wheelchair steered by a bored-looking corrections officer.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes the game simply abandons you.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Currently, Colorado supports the youngest and the oldest students enrolled in private schools through tuition vouchers or indirectly through tax incentives, but abandons them in the intervening and arguably most important years of schooling.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Senegal 's parliament has approved a new bill that toughens punishment for homosexuality in the largely Muslim West African nation, the latest African country to impose harsh penalties against the LGBTQ+ community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Iranian authorities enforce laws like compulsory dress codes through Draconian forms of punishment — harassment, arrests, imprisonment, and violence.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Complicating any assessment of the incident is the lack of images of bomb fragments from the blast.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Their assessment places the probability below 50 percent.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If the Pentagon withdraws support, the Scouts would have to scramble to replace medical care, transportation and other emergency services.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Antonio Delgado withdraws from New York governor race after Mamdani backs Hochul.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserts. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
