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

Example Sentences

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 To do any less would be a dereliction of duty, says C.D. Glin, president of PepsiCo Foundation and global head of philanthropy at PepsiCo Inc. Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2023 Cleveland city prosecutors on Thursday charged officers Kevin Warnock, 46, and Dennis Meehan, 30, with assault and dereliction of duty. Adam Ferrise, cleveland, 12 Jan. 2023 In addition to being unlawful, as described in this report, this was an utter moral failure—and a clear dereliction of duty. William Earl, Variety, 22 Dec. 2022 The president’s dereliction of duty has created a crisis. Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, 31 Dec. 2022 The misuse of Bourne this season was offensive malpractice to the nth degree, an inexplicable dereliction of duty by Belichick, Patricia, Joe Judge, and whomever else had a hand in Bourne’s disappearing act. Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Dec. 2022 But federal criminal law does not contain a dereliction of duty statute. Howard Manly, The Conversation, 20 Dec. 2022 Other related convictions included dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, wrongfully using other people's Social Security numbers and bouncing checks. Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 13 Dec. 2022 The Democratic capitulation to the GOP’s demand to rescind the vaccine mandate is an inexcusable dereliction of Congress’ duty to care for the health of military service members and the general public. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dereliction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 24 Mar. 2023.

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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