1
as in abandoning
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
the volunteer became disillusioned with his candidate and deserted to a political rival
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaving
to cause to remain behind
deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deserting
But Putin was not going to launch a new war against Turkey’s rebel allies just to save a petty dictator whose own soldiers were deserting.
—
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserting
Verb
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Security footage shows the missing man crashing his car and abandoning it near the Best Western Hotel on Enterprise Drive.—
Julia Avant,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Republican state lawmakers opposed the measure, saying the Legislature was circumventing its process and abandoning transparency and accountability in order to funnel tax dollars to a political ally.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In a strange twist, the Max app was developed by VKontakte (VK), which Durov co-founded before selling his shares and leaving Russia in 2014, after Durov said the Kremlin had asked the site to hand over Ukrainian users’ data.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Those many Americans who still understand that freedom is the magic elixir that drives growth and prosperity are exiting blue states, leaving them to stew in their left-wing, socialist, low-growth and low-opportunity juices.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Gingles’ apartment, investigators found a letter from the DMV in Texas, dated less than two weeks before the murders, rejecting an application for a Texas certificate of title for a vehicle.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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Even Republican districts are rejecting the rapid buildout of ICE detention facilities in their communities.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deserting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserting. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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