SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
deserter
noun
Someone who abandons a duty, cause, or post, especially military service without permission.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Person abandoning a duty
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topA defector joins or supports another side; desertion can consist simply of abandoning duty.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See deserter in use
The historical novel follows a deserter who leaves his assigned post.
A deserter from the city's guard abandons his service without permission while the remaining guards still expect him to carry out his duties.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license