DESERTING Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

deserting

verb

present participle of desert

as in abandoning

to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another the volunteer became disillusioned with his candidate and deserted to a political rival

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in leaving

to cause to remain behind deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of deserting The president’s 2024 campaign leaned into crypto to attract young men, a demographic that is deserting Republicans in the midterms. — Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026 Tennessee Williams’ autobiographical drama centers on a writer haunted by deserting his delusional mother Amanda and sister Laura, who’s painfully shy and retreats to her collection of glass animals. — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2026 Over the next two decades, records are few, most of them noting criminal convictions for fighting in bars, stealing a watch, deserting a whaling ship, and beating his wife. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 But Putin was not going to launch a new war against Turkey’s rebel allies just to save a petty dictator whose own soldiers were deserting. — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserting

Verb

The protestors accuse Kumar of abandoning his constitutional obligation to act impartially.

— Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
Schottenheimer has faced questions throughout the week around the offense handling pressure, abandoning the run early in games, not finding explosive plays and more.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of abandoning

Verb

Unlike municipalities Uthmeier threatened after rejecting the agreements, these local governments have not formally accepted or rejected a 287(g) collaboration.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
And filmmakers building outside Hollywood’s traditional gates aren’t rejecting the business.

— Chaseedaw Giles, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Browse Nearby Words

desertic

deserting

desertion

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Style

“Deserting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserting. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of deserting

verb

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