deserter
noun
de·sert·er
di-ˈzər-tər 
plural deserters
: a person who deserts
… the deserter of his father in his last days, betrayer of his brother in his captivity …—
Amy Kelly
Amy Kelly
especially
: a member of a military force who abandons service without leave
a wartime deserter
But now that Anderson has been AWOL for more than 30 days, he is known in the U.S. military as a deserter, facing the possibility of years in jail. —Daniel Eisenberg
Daniel Eisenberg At a prison camp for German army deserters, Herold ordered the execution of more than 100 soldiers. —Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips Examples of deserter in a Sentence
we had orders to find and capture the deserters before they could reveal our location
Recent Examples on the Web
And within his own country’s history, particularly, Dhont discovered the fates that met would-be deserters who were caught — brutal sentences often leading to death.
—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 Mar. 2026
One of the carriages on Trotsky’s train was set aside as a revolutionary tribunal to deal with deserters and cowards.
—
Literary Hub,
25 Feb. 2026
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln pardoned many Union deserters; after it, Andrew Johnson blanket pardoned nearly all Confederate soldiers.
—
Willem Marx,
Vanity Fair,
18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deserter
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David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
The love story of a Confederate deserter (Jude Law) journeying back to his North Carolina home and his love (Nicole Kidman) drives the Civil War drama.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 Mar. 2026
One of the carriages on Trotsky’s train was set aside as a revolutionary tribunal to deal with deserters and cowards.
—
Literary Hub,
25 Feb. 2026
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln pardoned many Union deserters; after it, Andrew Johnson blanket pardoned nearly all Confederate soldiers.
—
Willem Marx,
Vanity Fair,
18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Cite this Entry
“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deserter. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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