1
as in abandoning
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
the volunteer became disillusioned with his candidate and deserted to a political rival
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaving
to cause to remain behind
deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of deserting
But Putin was not going to launch a new war against Turkey’s rebel allies just to save a petty dictator whose own soldiers were deserting.
—
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserting
Verb
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The same day, a judge sentenced her to serve three years of probation for abandoning Kha’liya’s body.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Fuqua thought about abandoning the project, but ultimately agreed to reconceive it instead.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Cubs stranded a season-high 17 runners on base Tuesday, their first win when leaving at least 17 on base since June 2, 2018, and their first at Wrigley Field since July 3, 2010 (both also had 17 LOB).—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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His original boss, national security adviser Mike Waltz, was booted to the United Nations after the Signalgate scandal, leaving the role to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was already juggling portfolios and is busier now with Iran.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has criticized European countries for rejecting or hesitating to get involved in the war with Iran.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
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Questionable fee calculations, bait and switch practices and rejecting measures to improve transparency are not ways to earn that support.—
Jan Goldsmith,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserting. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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