deserter
Americannoun
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a soldier or draftee who leaves or runs away from service or duty with the intention of never returning.
Deserters from the rebel army tell of low morale among its remaining fighters.
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a person who fails to uphold a cause or who abandons someone else, especially in violation of a promise or obligation.
Some of those remaining in the home country view emigrants living abroad as deserters from their mother culture.
A family deserter is one who can but will not support a spouse or dependents.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deserter
Explanation
Someone who abandons their responsibilities is a deserter. Being a military deserter is particularly serious, with harsh consequences. Anyone who deserts a post or obligation, abandoning it in an irresponsible, disloyal way, is a deserter. Your friends may call you a deserter if you promise to help them rake leaves but wander home after 20 minutes to watch TV instead. In the military, being a deserter is nearly as bad as being a traitor. During wartime, deserters can face long prison sentences.
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.
Revere outfits the deserter with homespun clothes and collects the buttons from his uniform to melt down for silverwork.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Corn said he could be declared a deserter sooner, given the likelihood King knew his decision had ended his military career.
From Reuters ● Aug. 4, 2023
As a deserter from the Ukrainian army, he would face 10 years in jail if he was caught.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2023
This way, he figures, he can prove to anyone he meets that he isn’t a deserter because he is still literally attached to his vessel.
From New York Times ● May 24, 2022
He shouldn’t have; almost every night he heard his parents talking of Eb and of what uncertainties they would face if he were really a deserter and if he should suddenly appear.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
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.
