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

Death in a hail of bullets has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America’s Old West, and as a tool of terror and political repression in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. —Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025

His desertion is squashed, however, when his fellow soldier Gam Dong-hyuk (Hong Xa-bin) tries to tag along. —Robert Daniels, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Meanwhile, Ukraine faces troop shortages and problems with mobilization and the high numbers of desertions. —Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025

Rosenblatt said in a statement Monday that King would plead guilty to five of those charges, including desertion, three counts of disobeying an officer, and assault on a noncommissioned officer. —Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 1 Jan. 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