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

This approach became so common that Ukraine changed the law to decriminalize desertion and absence without leave, if committed for the first time. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024

Since October, the military has been weakened by a series of territorial losses, troop defections, desertions and loss of manpower. —Helen Regan, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024

But it’s been plagued by desertions in recent years as the oil-rich nation’s economy went belly up under Maduro’s watch. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 31 July 2024

Answer: Treason, murder, obstruction, theft, smuggling, piracy, mutiny, desertion, bigamy, dueling, accepting the land grant on the Ridge under false pretenses. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 July 2024

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

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