desertion

[ dih-zur-shuh n ]

/ dɪˈzɜr ʃən /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

desert soil, desert varnish, deserted, deserticolous, desertification, desertion, deserve, deserved, deservedly, deserving, desex

Compare AWOL.

Origin of desertion

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

Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for desertion

“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|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|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|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|DAILY BEAST

At CPAC, it was hard to find any declarations of defection or desertion should Romney win selection as GOP general-in-chief.
CPAC’s Enthusiastic Crowd Polled for Romney and Cheered for Palin|Michael Medved|February 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Then his bought Judge can quietly grant a separation for desertion, after Natalie has returned to France.
The Little Lady of Lagunitas|Richard Henry Savage
This desertion drove Jean de Ville and his followers to despair.
Belgium|George W. T. (George William Thomson) Omond
To prevent such a desertion as this, he contrived the following very desperate stratagem.
Xerxes|Jacob Abbott
Had Phœbe known the result of this desertion, she would never have consented to it.
The Panchronicon|Harold Steele Mackaye
The blankness and awfulness of the pall that had settled upon the country after his desertion had not yet been dissipated.
Peggy Owen at Yorktown|Lucy Foster Madison

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