as in discipline
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
the robbers got their just deserts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rejects
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaves
to cause to remain behind
deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deserts
Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
Nonnative livestock — not just horses and cows but also donkeys, pigs and sheep — thrived in the vast grasslands, plains and deserts of the New World.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Native to Central and South American deserts, fairy castle cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus ‘Monstrose’) is a night-blooming cereus that produces white flowers in the summer.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2026
Whether your preferred landscape is mountains, deserts, forests, plains, or coastal views, there’s a spring road trip in the United States for you.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2026
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Helmed by Óliver Laxe and set against the backdrop of a fast-brewing global conflict, SIRĀT follows a father (Sergi López) and his young son in search of his missing daughter alongside a group of ravers in the deserts of southern Morocco.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
It was implemented to address attorney deserts, lack of training and poor compensation for attorneys and minimal support for clients.
—Raynee Howell, Oklahoma Watch, 9 Feb. 2026
Temperatures across the lower deserts were roughly 10 to 15 degrees above normal, an unusually large departure for early February.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2025
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg, the upcoming adaptation follows a young bride named Cherry (scream queen Maika Monroe), whose husband (Amir El-Masry) deserts her in the care of the sexy Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) and her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin).
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
In California, the warning is in effect for southeastern counties, with temperatures forecast to reach 111 F in Indian Wells Valley; and 115 F in Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
Gene-therapy deserts leave people without options The exact number of patients who've received these kinds of treatments is hard to pin down because there's no central reporting system, says Sarah Kikkert, a spokesperson for the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy.
—Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
Nonnative livestock — not just horses and cows but also donkeys, pigs and sheep — thrived in the vast grasslands, plains and deserts of the New World.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Native to Central and South American deserts, fairy castle cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus ‘Monstrose’) is a night-blooming cereus that produces white flowers in the summer.
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2026
Whether your preferred landscape is mountains, deserts, forests, plains, or coastal views, there’s a spring road trip in the United States for you.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2026
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Helmed by Óliver Laxe and set against the backdrop of a fast-brewing global conflict, SIRĀT follows a father (Sergi López) and his young son in search of his missing daughter alongside a group of ravers in the deserts of southern Morocco.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2026
It was implemented to address attorney deserts, lack of training and poor compensation for attorneys and minimal support for clients.
—Raynee Howell, Oklahoma Watch, 9 Feb. 2026
Temperatures across the lower deserts were roughly 10 to 15 degrees above normal, an unusually large departure for early February.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
Sean, 17, deserts his post in the midst of the Iraq war and returns to England.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2025
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Isabel Greenberg, the upcoming adaptation follows a young bride named Cherry (scream queen Maika Monroe), whose husband (Amir El-Masry) deserts her in the care of the sexy Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) and her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin).
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
In California, the warning is in effect for southeastern counties, with temperatures forecast to reach 111 F in Indian Wells Valley; and 115 F in Coachella Valley and San Diego County deserts.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserts
Noun
-
Data discipline allows organizations to connect real-time industrial conditions to enterprise workflows, making sure decisions are based on trustworthy and contextual information.—
William Jones,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
-
His lack of messaging discipline has been on display after concerns about high costs of living helped propel Democratic wins around the country on Election Day last November.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And top-down impositions could also be painted as less democratic, because the state essentially rejects the self-determination of local communities to oppose new developments.—
Greg Rosalsky,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2026
-
While Russia rejects the court’s jurisdiction, attacks on objects indispensable to civilian survival are prohibited under the Geneva Conventions and customary international law.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That leaves Pernetti as the only candidate without any experience working with the NFLPA.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
These observations are anecdotal for Los Angeles County, as the department traditionally sets up its mosquito traps at the beginning of March and leaves them out until about after Thanksgiving, Kluh said.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most of the amendments were punctuation issues, formatting changes or edits made for clarity, but others were factual corrections.—
Silas Allen,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Child-skin-care companies do, for the most part, market their products as tools for self-care, rather than correction.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone who takes or abandons a shopping cart can be convicted of a petty misdemeanor.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
-
As for that Lucy and Stephen ending, Oppenheimer previously explained in her deep dive with THR on the finale that the moment when Stephen abandons Lucy at the gas station is ultimately what frees her from their relationship, and Van Patten agrees.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
If the red card is overturned, the UEFA disciplinary panel would have the power to remove all punishment or reinstate the initial yellow card, which would lead to a one-match ban for a red card for two bookable offences.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
27 Feb. 2026
-
His sentence was the longest punishment brought to date since China imposed the national security law in 2020, essentially silencing Hong Kong's dissent.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After initial theoretical assessments and successful laboratory trials, AEON underwent its first test deployment at the BMW Group Plant Leipzig in December 2025.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
-
But that April special session has been canceled, and the assessment will now happen during the commission’s regular annual meeting in November.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If the Pentagon withdraws support, the Scouts would have to scramble to replace medical care, transportation and other emergency services.—
Graham Smith,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Antonio Delgado withdraws from New York governor race after Mamdani backs Hochul.—
,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserts. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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