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desertion

American  
[dih-zur-shuhn] / dɪˈzɜr ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of deserting or the state of being deserted.

  2. Law. willful abandonment, especially of one's spouse without consent, in violation of legal or moral obligations.

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

desertion British  
/ dɪˈzɜːʃən /

noun

  1. the act of deserting or abandoning or the state of being deserted or abandoned

  2. 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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of desertion

1585–95; < Late Latin dēsertiōn- (stem of dēsertiō ) < Latin dēsert ( us ) ( see desert 1) + -iōn- -ion

Vocabulary lists containing desertion

The American Civil War

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Desertion is a very serious charge and can result in imprisonment for as much as three years.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 19, 2023

Gurnah, whose novels include "Paradise" and "Desertion", writes in English and lives in Britain.

From Reuters • Oct. 7, 2021

Desertion is a particular problem in ethnic minority conflict zones, military insiders say.

From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2020

Desertion remained a problem and recruiting efforts could never slacken.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Desertion required its own sort of courage, and Sam had little enough of that.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.