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
There is no place for deserters to go within Syria; most have gone to Turkey, which is difficult given the circumstances.
—
Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2012
Members of the Rwandan diaspora are regularly contacted by army deserters asking for help.
—Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025
Against overwhelming odds, Scott dares the unthinkable — cross behind enemy lines, survive the lethal landscape, evade capture by ruthless enemies, resist natural predators, face human deserters and finish the mission singlehandedly.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Mar. 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
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2012
Members of the Rwandan diaspora are regularly contacted by army deserters asking for help.
—Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025
Against overwhelming odds, Scott dares the unthinkable — cross behind enemy lines, survive the lethal landscape, evade capture by ruthless enemies, resist natural predators, face human deserters and finish the mission singlehandedly.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 14 Mar. 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
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter
Noun
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One White South African called Rupert a traitor to his fellow Afrikaners in a social media post.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
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Some of my children have called me a Nazi, a traitor.—
Beatrice Weber,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Iran has also for years militarily and financially supported regional militia groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza, that have pressured or attacked Israel on multiple fronts.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Worried about Michilimackinac’s vulnerability to attacks by American rebels, the British relocated the fort to the high bluffs of Mackinac Island in 1780 and shortened its name.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 June 2025
Noun
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The director Doris Wishman was a renegade: a woman who made lurid exploitation films at a time when American underground cinema was a man’s playground.—
Erik Piepenburg,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
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Krasinski plays Luke, the sort of quippy renegade who clearly watched too many Indiana Jones movies in his youth.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserter. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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