Nearby Words
verb (used with object)
1.
to leave (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, especially in violation of a duty, promise, or the like: He deserted his wife. Synonyms: abandon, leave, quit; forsake.
2.
(of military personnel) to leave or run away from (service, duty, etc.) with the intention of never returning: Terrified of the approaching battle, he deserted his post just before dawn.
3.
to fail (someone) at a time of need: None of his friends had deserted him.
verb (used without object)
4.
to forsake or leave one's duty, obligations, etc. (sometimes followed by from, to, etc.): Many deserted during the food shortage. Synonyms: abdicate, resign.
5.
(of military personnel) to leave service, duty, etc., with no intention of returning: Troops were deserting to the enemy. Synonyms: go AWOL.
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Deserter
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Origin:
1470–80; < Middle French déserter < Late Latin dēsertāre, frequentative of Latin dēserere; see desert1
1470–80; < Middle French déserter < Late Latin dēsertāre, frequentative of Latin dēserere; see desert1
Related forms
de·sert·ed·ly, adverb
de·sert·ed·ness, noun
de·sert·er, noun
pre·de·sert·er, noun
Synonyms
1. Desert, abandon, forsake mean to leave behind persons, places, or things. Desert implies intentionally violating an oath, formal obligation, or duty: to desert campaign pledges. Abandon suggests giving up wholly and finally, whether of necessity, unwillingly, or through shirking responsibilities: to abandon a hopeless task; abandon a child. Forsake has emotional connotations, since it implies violating obligations of affection or association: to forsake a noble cause.
1. Desert, abandon, forsake mean to leave behind persons, places, or things. Desert implies intentionally violating an oath, formal obligation, or duty: to desert campaign pledges. Abandon suggests giving up wholly and finally, whether of necessity, unwillingly, or through shirking responsibilities: to abandon a hopeless task; abandon a child. Forsake has emotional connotations, since it implies violating obligations of affection or association: to forsake a noble cause.
Citations
“There used to be two kinds of kisses: First when girls were kissed and deserted; second, when they were engaged. Now there's a third kind, where the man is kissed and deserted.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise (1920)
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise (1920)
“Girty had deserted his military post at Port Pitt, and become an outlaw of his own volition.”
—Zane Grey, The Spirit of the Border (1906)
—Zane Grey, The Spirit of the Border (1906)
“I had a strong and comforting faith that I should be able to organize and conduct an Administration which would satisfy and win the country. This faith never deserted me.”
—Rutherford B. Hayes, “Diary (January 23, 1881),” Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Nineteenth President of the United States, vol. III, ed. Charles Richard Williams (1922-1926)
—Rutherford B. Hayes, “Diary (January 23, 1881),” Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Nineteenth President of the United States, vol. III, ed. Charles Richard Williams (1922-1926)
“[A]ll she knew was that her father had deserted from the Soviet army many years before. She believed that to be the reason he was in hiding.”
—Steve Martini, Guardian of Lies (2009)
—Steve Martini, Guardian of Lies (2009)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To deserter
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
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