as in abandonment
the act of abandoning
the soldiers were imprisoned for desertion of their posts
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Recent Examples of desertion
During the Civil War, the crew of a Confederate ship, along with Union soldiers convicted of rape, murder, desertion and other offenses, were imprisoned there.
—
Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
He was returned to Russia in January through a prisoner exchange after talks mediated by the United Arab Emirates, and subsequently charged with voluntary surrender, attempted voluntary surrender on at least one other occasion, and desertion.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Also, some draft-age men have moved abroad, while desertions have undermined the army.
—arkansasonline.com, 13 Feb. 2025
Despite receiving some $60 billion in aid since 2001, Afghanistan’s military has suffered from chronic problems with morale and desertion, especially in regions of intense conflict, such as Helmand Province.
—Mara Karlin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2017
See All Example Sentences for desertion
Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
He was returned to Russia in January through a prisoner exchange after talks mediated by the United Arab Emirates, and subsequently charged with voluntary surrender, attempted voluntary surrender on at least one other occasion, and desertion.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Also, some draft-age men have moved abroad, while desertions have undermined the army.
—arkansasonline.com, 13 Feb. 2025
Despite receiving some $60 billion in aid since 2001, Afghanistan’s military has suffered from chronic problems with morale and desertion, especially in regions of intense conflict, such as Helmand Province.
—Mara Karlin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2017
See All Example Sentences for desertion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desertion
abandonment
Noun
-
Volunteers advocate for children who have been removed from their home from either abuse, abandonment or neglect.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 July 2025
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But the Puerto Rican legend’s abandonment of her machine-gun reputation proved fatal in the final rounds.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desertion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desertion. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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