as in traitor
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
we had orders to find and capture the deserters before they could reveal our location
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Recent Examples of deserter
But the group also used it as a tool of execution against deserters, inadvertently showcasing the brittleness of a regime that had to use fear to motivate even its mercenary soldiers to stay in the fight.
—
Nicolas Niarchos, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Russia is also reported to have forcibly sent hundreds of its military deserters to the front line in Ukraine.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2025
Badghis and Faryab, along the line demarcating Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, are in particularly poor shape as deserters leave behind dwindling numbers of guards.
—George Gavrilis, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2015
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Nicolas Niarchos, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Russia is also reported to have forcibly sent hundreds of its military deserters to the front line in Ukraine.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Its return hearkens back to other periods in American history when firing squads were more common, such as the colonial era and the Civil War, when it was used against deserters.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2025
Badghis and Faryab, along the line demarcating Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, are in particularly poor shape as deserters leave behind dwindling numbers of guards.
—George Gavrilis, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2015
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter
Noun
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Opponents aren’t just wrong anymore — they’re painted as traitors or existential threats.—
Marly Berlin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Sep. 2025
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The show features reality TV stars and celebrity contestants who must play a game similar to Werewolf or Mafia and figure out who the traitors are among the group.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But in a region being fought over by a patchwork of anti-junta rebel groups, the military and pro-military militia – and given the widespread distrust of the Rohingya – information on where exactly his family are, or what will become of them, has not been forthcoming.—
Esha Mitra,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The polar figures of 16th-century Italian choral music, Palestrina, the Apollonian master of elegant counterpoint, and Gesualdo, the violent renegade of plangent harmonies, meet on the same program presented by Miller Theater.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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As a result, work in the Texas House, including the passage of several bills unrelated to redistricting, ground to a halt and arrest warrants were issued for the renegade lawmakers, though these couldn't be enforced outside Texas.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Two of whom, Seok and Hyuk, gained attention for their emotional story as North Korean defectors-turned-K-pop idols.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Several other exiles in London — oligarchs and defectors — who died under mysterious circumstances in the early 2000s.—
Andy Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserter. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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