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
Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.
—
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
In 1945, three men — two Jewish refugees living in Brooklyn and one Nazi deserter — enlisted in the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Despite opposition to busing, particularly among White families who comprised much of Louisville's Catholic population, Archbishop McDonough vowed in 1974 that his schools would not become the home of public school deserters.
—Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
When Bloomberg asked 5,000 early Model 3 owners that year what cars used to be in their driveway, the survey found an alarming number of BMW deserters.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
In 1945, three men — two Jewish refugees living in Brooklyn and one Nazi deserter — enlisted in the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Despite opposition to busing, particularly among White families who comprised much of Louisville's Catholic population, Archbishop McDonough vowed in 1974 that his schools would not become the home of public school deserters.
—Krista Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
When Bloomberg asked 5,000 early Model 3 owners that year what cars used to be in their driveway, the survey found an alarming number of BMW deserters.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter
Noun
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That argument is still used to justify the retention of statues of Confederate generals, every one of whom was a traitor, in prominent public places.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 2026
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Her decision to vote for fellow traitor Rob Rausch in the last episode came back to bite her.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Lucas’s focus on getting paid brings him in for the book’s harshest criticism; Fischer casts him as a rebel turned sellout.—
Michael O’Donnell,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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On the other hand, Bennu is the rebel — its glycine likely originated in frozen ice exposed to harsh radiation in the outer reaches of the solar system.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But, a renegade locomotive is careening toward Los Angeles in its place.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
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Holding hands, terrace kisses and renegade servants?—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Among the defectors, only two started games for the Canes in 2025.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Koepka, the first to work out a deal with the PGA as a reverse defector, this week is playing his first Tour event since returning, at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserter. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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