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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for deserter
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
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
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter
Noun
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His brother Jun-ho is still searching for the island and is unaware there’s a traitor in his group.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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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
Noun
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The Times of Israel reported that both ships were attacked over a week ago by the rebels as part of their campaign targeting vessels over the war in Gaza.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
17 July 2025
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Israel has stepped up strikes against Syria despite pressure from the US, which has made moves to end the country’s international isolation following the rebel takeover.—
Eyad Kourdi,
CNN Money,
17 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 31 Jul. 2025.
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