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
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
Members of the Rwandan diaspora are regularly contacted by army deserters asking for help.
—Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025
Against overwhelming odds, Scott dares the unthinkable — cross behind enemy lines, survive the lethal landscape, evade capture by ruthless enemies, resist natural predators, face human deserters and finish the mission singlehandedly.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Mar. 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
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2012
Members of the Rwandan diaspora are regularly contacted by army deserters asking for help.
—Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025
Against overwhelming odds, Scott dares the unthinkable — cross behind enemy lines, survive the lethal landscape, evade capture by ruthless enemies, resist natural predators, face human deserters and finish the mission singlehandedly.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Mar. 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
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter
Noun
-
Young-il’s brother is still searching for the island — but a traitor on the boat is preventing the detective from reaching the game site.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Meanwhile, Jun-ho continues his search for the island on which the Squid Games are taking place - but there's a traitor amongst his team.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
Yemen's Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, have continued to launch attacks in the region despite the truce, including previous drone and missile strikes targeting Israel.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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Young-il manages to separate from the group and betrays the rebels, killing two of them and faking his own death.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
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 9 Jul. 2025.
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