as in traitor
a person who abandons a cause or organization usually without right
we had orders to find and capture the deserters before they could reveal our location
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Recent Examples of deserter
The deserters were typically shot simultaneously by three or more fellow soldiers — one of whom might have been issued blanks, rather than live rounds, as was the case in the 2010 Utah execution — to blur the lines of responsibility for the death.
—
Jacey Fortin, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
In November, the country changed the law to allow first-time deserters to return without punishment.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Another grievance that defectors and deserters commonly cited was declining salaries.
—Mara R. Revkin, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2016
According to some reports, defectors and deserters have been burned or frozen to death in Iraq.
—Mara R. Revkin, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2016
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Jacey Fortin, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
In November, the country changed the law to allow first-time deserters to return without punishment.
—Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Another grievance that defectors and deserters commonly cited was declining salaries.
—Mara R. Revkin, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2016
According to some reports, defectors and deserters have been burned or frozen to death in Iraq.
—Mara R. Revkin, Foreign Affairs, 1 May 2016
See All Example Sentences for deserter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserter
Noun
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Questioning Tulsi Gabbard about her appointment as the director of National Intelligence, Republican senators begged her to agree with them that Edward Snowden was a traitor for leaking sensitive documents and then fleeing to Moscow.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2025
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Continue reading … 'CLOSER TO RUSSIA' – Dem fires back after Elon Musk doubles down on 'traitor' accusation.—
FOXNews.com,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Parnell, the Pentagon spokesperson, said the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which has been carrying out strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, will stay in the region through this month, though its deployment there was scheduled to have ended at the end of March.—
Haley Britzky,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
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The rebels have loosely defined what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning many vessels could be targeted.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The renegades were attempting to void the ACC’s grant-of-rights agreement, which would clear them to join the SEC or Big Ten.—
Jon Wilner,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
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Sports Illustrated even called for UM to disband what was seen then as a renegade football program led by a coach playing by his own rules.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deserter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserter. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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