desertion

[ dih-zur-shuhn ]

See synonyms for desertion on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of deserting or the state of being deserted.
Law. willful abandonment, especially of one's spouse without consent, in violation of legal or moral obligations.

an act of leaving military service or duty without the intention of returning.

Origin of desertion

1585–95; <Late Latin dēsertiōn- (stem of dēsertiō) <Latin dēsert(us) (see desert¹) + -iōn--ion

Other words from desertion

pre·de·ser·tion, noun
self-de·ser·tion, noun

Compare AWOL.

Words Nearby desertion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use desertion in a sentence

With viral online organizing, the idea of non-desertion agreements could spread quickly.
The United States Needs Corporate 'Loyalty Oaths' | Jonathan Alter | August 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“I, Pvt. Eddie D. Slovik, 36896415, confess to the desertion of the United States Army…” it began.
The Last American Soldier Executed for Desertion | Michael Daly | June 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A general read aloud the order that Pvt. Eddie Slovik was to be executed for the crime of desertion.
The Last American Soldier Executed for Desertion | Michael Daly | June 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
His desertion barely warranted a comment, but he was not hailed as a hero.
We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night | Nathan Bradley Bethea | June 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“I believe I am the only colonel in the regular army who was ever court-martialed and convicted of desertion,” he laughed.
The U.S. Army's Last Bayonet Charge | David Frum | October 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

To cease living together for the time fixed by statute is not desertion unless this was done intentionally.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
desertion is a general ground of divorce, the law in every state prescribing a period of time, quite often three years.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney Bolles
But the Emperor could not forgive his desertion, and, thinking he would not benefit by his services, he refused them.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Have you any plea to urge beyond the natural one of her seemingly unprovoked desertion of you?
The Mayor's Wife | Anna Katherine Green
The sense of the desertion by humankind, by God and mercy and rationality swept through me and overwhelmed my inner self.
Valley of the Croen | Lee Tarbell

British Dictionary definitions for desertion

desertion

/ (dɪˈzɜːʃən) /

noun

the act of deserting or abandoning or the state of being deserted or abandoned
law wilful abandonment, esp of one's spouse or children, without consent and in breach of obligations

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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