desertion

noun

de·​ser·​tion di-ˈzər-shən 

1

: an act of deserting

especially : the abandonment without consent or legal justification of a person, post, or relationship and the associated duties and obligations

sued for divorce on grounds of desertion

2

: a state of being deserted or forsaken

Synonyms

• abandonment
• dereliction
• forsaking

Examples of desertion in a Sentence

the soldiers were imprisoned for desertion of their posts

Recent Examples on the Web

Last February, a Russian anti-war project named Get Lost, which was created to help Russia's men evade or escape conscription in Ukraine, said cases of desertion from the military had increased tenfold that year. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

Ukrainian commanders have reportedly been arrested recently and while the details of the charges are not yet entirely clear, one was arrested for not informing the authorities about a mass desertion of troops. —Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025

Mass desertion, a fairly rare occurrence in diverse but egalitarian militaries, is a near inevitability in highly unequal militaries. —Jason Lyall, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2020

They were charged with desertion of a child and abandonment of an animal. —Liam Quinn, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin dēsertiōn-, dēsertiō, from dēserere "to part company with, abandon, leave uninhabited, leave in the lurch" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at desert entry 3

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for desertion

• assertion
• cistercian
• coercion
• exertion
• insertion
• mercian
• overexertion
• reassertion

Legal Definition

desertion

noun

de·​ser·​tion

: the forsaking of a person, post, or relationship: as

a

: permanent withdrawal from living with one's spouse without the spouse's consent and without cause or justification

Note: Desertion is a ground for divorce in many states.

b

: intentional permanent termination of custody over one's child

also : abandonment

c

: abandonment of military duty without leave and without the intent to return