dereliction

noun

der·​e·​lic·​tion ˌder-ə-ˈlik-shən How to pronounce dereliction (audio)
ˌde-rə-
1
a
: an intentional abandonment
b
: the state of being abandoned
2
: a recession of water leaving permanently dry land
3
a
: intentional or conscious neglect : delinquency
dereliction of duty

Examples of dereliction in a Sentence

the dereliction of a cause by its leaders The officer was formally charged with dereliction of duty. a serious dereliction of duty
Recent Examples on the Web Well, maybe the dereliction of duty of Amity’s local government! Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024 To not give the team and those fans and this city their best chance to win a title would be dereliction of duty. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024 Only one was found guilty of the lesser charge of negligent dereliction of duty and served no jail time. Theara Coleman, theweek, 11 Sep. 2024 But, in the end, only one of the Marines was convicted, of the minor crime of negligent dereliction of duty. Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dereliction 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dereliction.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dereliction was in 1597

Dictionary Entries Near dereliction

Cite this Entry

“Dereliction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dereliction. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dereliction

noun
der·​e·​lic·​tion ˌder-ə-ˈlik-shən How to pronounce dereliction (audio)
1
: the act of abandoning : the state of being abandoned
the dereliction of a cause by its leaders
2
: neglect of one's duty

Legal Definition

dereliction

noun
der·​e·​lic·​tion ˌder-ə-ˈlik-shən How to pronounce dereliction (audio)
1
a
: an intentional abandonment
b
: a state of being abandoned
2
: a recession of water leaving permanently dry land
3
: an intentional or conscious neglect
dereliction of duty
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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