desert

/dˈɛzɚt/ · 2 syllables

Meaning

verb

1. leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
   “The mother deserted her children”
2. desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army
   “If soldiers deserted Hitler's army, they were shot”
3. leave behind
   “the students deserted the campus after the end of exam period”

noun

1. arid land with little or no vegetation
2. (usually plural) a person's deservingness of or entitlement to reward or punishment

Synonyms for desert

• abandon
• forsake
• desolate
• defect