as in traitors
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 deserters
Harry Truman granted amnesty to certain World War II deserters, while Jimmy Carter granted pardons to hundreds of thousands of individuals who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War.
—
Stewart Ulrich, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.
—Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Despite opposition to busing, particularly among White families who comprised much of Louisville's Catholic population, Archbishop McDonough vowed in 1974 that his schools would not become the home of public school deserters.
—Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Stewart Ulrich, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
More important, though, is the fact that the judge who posited that hordes of deserters could follow Vovchenko’s example seems to be overstepping his role.
—Air Mail, 25 Oct. 2025
Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Despite opposition to busing, particularly among White families who comprised much of Louisville's Catholic population, Archbishop McDonough vowed in 1974 that his schools would not become the home of public school deserters.
—Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserters
Noun
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Faithfuls also have chances to banish traitors by voting them out of the castle during a nightly event called the roundtable.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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Rinna was selected as one of the traitors on the show, but she was voted off.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Yet plantation records indicate that women helped supply food and clothing to rebels.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But in order to remain a meaningful platform for creative renegades, the festival needs to also take risks.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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But a few renegades creatively defected across the pond, looking instead at America for inspiration.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
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After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And with members' own reelection hopes beginning to clash with some politically unpopular policies coming from the White House, the number of Republican defectors could grow as the midterm elections approach.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Among the defectors, only two started games for the Canes in 2025.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserters. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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