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
-
Eric Coomer, who was the security and product strategy director at the voting equipment company, sued the MyPillow founder and conspiracy theorist for calling him a traitor and accusing him of stealing the 2020 election.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
17 June 2025
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The faithfuls must determine who the traitors are and banish them from the game in order to win the grand prize.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
13 June 2025
Noun
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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
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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 4 Jul. 2025.
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