as in traitor
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
we had orders to find and capture the deserters before they could reveal our location
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Recent Examples of deserter
Russia is also reported to have forcibly sent hundreds of its military deserters to the front line in Ukraine.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2025
The dominant plot thread involves a romance between Lucia and Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a Sicilian deserter who catches Lucia’s eye.
—Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
There is no place for deserters to go within Syria; most have gone to Turkey, which is difficult given the circumstances.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2012
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2025
The dominant plot thread involves a romance between Lucia and Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a Sicilian deserter who catches Lucia’s eye.
—Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
There is no place for deserters to go within Syria; most have gone to Turkey, which is difficult given the circumstances.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2012
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter
Noun
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Taiwan’s parties, in other words, portray their opponents not just as politically different but as autocratic traitors.—
LEV NACHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Aug. 2025
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Foundation is worried about the traitors, the Empire is worried about the Galactic Council, the Emperor is worried about the other emperors and the robot.—
Jeff Conway,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
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According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, last year was the worst year yet for peace in the country since a 2016 deal was struck between the FARC, Colombia’s largest rebel group, and the Colombian state.—
Ladan Anoushfar,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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In 2024, a group of UN experts said that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the rebels.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
Noun
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And, of course, my fantasy went right to some kind of renegade character along the lines of Saw Gerrera.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
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The director Doris Wishman was a renegade: a woman who made lurid exploitation films at a time when American underground cinema was a man’s playground.—
Erik Piepenburg,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserter. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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