deserter

[ dih-zur-ter ]

noun

1. a soldier or draftee who leaves or runs away from service or duty with the intention of never returning:

   Deserters from the rebel army tell of low morale among its remaining fighters.

2. a person who fails to uphold a cause or who abandons someone else, especially in violation of a promise or obligation:

   Some of those remaining in the home country view emigrants living abroad as deserters from their mother culture.

   A family deserter is one who can but will not support a spouse or dependents.

Other Words From

• pre·de·sert·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deserter¹

desert ²( def ) + -er ¹( def )

Example Sentences

But the labor minister, Kim Moon-soo, said not only might that violate national and international law, but it would result in more deserters.

From Los Angeles Times

French investigating magistrates collected evidence from Syrian regime deserters and prison survivors as they built the case.

From Seattle Times

The numbers of known deserters may be small compared to Russia’s overall troop strength, but they are an indicator of morale.

From Seattle Times

“I did the right thing,” said another deserter who goes by the nickname Sparrow, who is living in hiding in Kazakhstan while he waits for his asylum applications to be processed.

From Seattle Times

An investigation by the AP in 2020 detailed how the two like-minded warriors joined up to train a motley crew of Venezuelan military deserters at clandestine camps in Colombia.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• defector
• escapee
• lawbreaker