deserted

UK: /dɪˈzɜː^rtɪd/ US: (di zûr′tid)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•sert•ed  (di zûr′tid), adj. 

1. abandoned;
   forsaken:
   the problems of deserted wives and children.
2. untenanted: without inhabitants:
   a deserted village; a deserted farmhouse.
3. unfrequented;
   lonely:
   The victim was lured to a deserted spot.

• desert² + -ed² 1620–30

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

des•ert¹ /ˈdɛzɚt/   n. [countable]

1. Ecology a hot, dry, sandy region with little or no rain or water:
   Some animals can survive in the desert on very little water.
2. any place lacking in something desirable:
   The town was a cultural desert.

adj. [before a noun]

3. of, relating to, or like a desert:
   desert wilderness.
4. occurring or living in the desert:
   a desert palm.
5. designed or suitable for use in the desert.

de•sert² /dɪˈzɜrt/   v. 

1. [ ~ + obj] to leave (a person, etc.) without intending to return, esp. when done against the law or in breaking a promise:
   He deserted his wife and children.
2. Military (of military personnel) to run away from (service, etc.) with the intention of never returning: [ ~ + obj]:
   He deserted his platoon and went over to the enemy.
   [no obj]:
   He deserted in the midst of battle.
3. [ ~ + obj] to fail (someone) at a time of need:
   None of his friends had deserted him.

de•sert•er, n. [countable]

de•sert³ /dɪˈzɜrt/   n. [countable]

1. Often, deserts. [plural] reward or punishment that is deserved:
   He got his just deserts when they discovered he'd lied to everyone.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

des•ert¹  (dez′ərt), n. 

1. Ecology a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all:
   The Sahara is a vast sandy desert.
2. Ecology any area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil.
3. Ecology an area of the ocean in which it is believed no marine life exists.
4. (formerly) any unsettled area between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains thought to be unsuitable for human habitation.
5. any place lacking in something:
   The town was a cultural desert.

adj. 

6. of, pertaining to, or like a desert; desolate;
   barren.
7. occurring, living, or flourishing in the desert:
   a desert tribe; a desert palm.
8. designed or suitable for wear in the desert, as cool, protective clothing:
   a big, wide-brimmed desert hat.

• Late Latin dēsertum (neuter), noun, nominal use of past participle of Latin dēserere to abandon, forsake, equivalent. to dē- de- + serere to join together (in a line); compare series
• Anglo-French
• Middle English 1175–1225

de•ser•tic  (di zûr′tik), adj.  des′ert•like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. Desert, waste, wilderness refer to areas that are largely uninhabited.
  Desert emphasizes lack of water; it refers to a dry, barren, treeless region, usually sandy:
  an oasis in a desert.
  Waste emphasizes lack of inhabitants and of cultivation; it is used of wild, barren land:
  a desolate waste.
  Wilderness emphasizes the difficulty of finding one's way, whether because of barrenness or of dense vegetation:
  a trackless wilderness.

de•sert²  (di zûrt′), v.t. 

1. to leave (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, esp. in violation of a duty, promise, or the like:
   He deserted his wife.
2. Military (of military personnel) to leave or run away from (service, duty, etc.) with the intention of never returning.
3. to fail (someone) at a time of need:
   None of his friends had deserted him.

v.i. 

4. to forsake or leave one's duty, obligations, etc. (sometimes fol. by from, to, etc.):
   Many deserted during the food shortage.
5. Military (of military personnel) to leave service, duty, etc., with no intention of returning:
   Troops were deserting to the enemy.

• Late Latin dēsertāre, frequentative of Latin dēserere; see desert¹
• Middle French déserter
• 1470–80

de•sert′ed•ly, adv. 
de•sert′ed•ness, n. 
de•sert′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. Desert, abandon, forsake mean to leave behind persons, places, or things.
  Desert implies intentionally violating an oath, formal obligation, or duty:
  to desert campaign pledges.
  Abandon suggests giving up wholly and finally, whether of necessity, unwillingly, or through shirking responsibilities:
  to abandon a hopeless task; abandon a child.
  Forsake has emotional connotations, since it implies violating obligations of affection or association:
  to forsake a noble cause.

de•sert³  (di zûrt′), n. 

1. Often, deserts. reward or punishment that is deserved:
   to get one's just deserts.
2. the state or fact of deserving reward or punishment.
3. the fact of deserving well;
   merit;
   virtue.

• Old French deserte, noun, nominal use of feminine past participle of deservir to deserve
• Middle English 1275–1325

Synonyms

• 3. See merit. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

desert / ˈdɛzət/ noun

1. a region that is devoid or almost devoid of vegetation, esp because of low rainfall
2. an uncultivated uninhabited region
3. a place which lacks some desirable feature or quality: a cultural desert
4. (modifier) of, relating to, or like a desert; infertile or desolate

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French, from Church Latin dēsertum, from Latin dēserere to abandon, literally: to sever one's links with, from de- + serere to bind together

desert / dɪˈzɜːt/ verb

1. (transitive) to leave or abandon (a person, place, etc) without intending to return, esp in violation of a duty, promise, or obligation
2. to abscond from (a post or duty) with no intention of returning
3. (transitive) to fail (someone) in time of need

Etymology: 15th Century: from French déserter, from Late Latin dēsertāre, from Latin dēserere to forsake; see desert¹

deˈserted adjective

deˈserter noun

desert / dɪˈzɜːt/ noun

1. (often plural) something that is deserved or merited; just reward or punishment
2. the state of deserving a reward or punishment

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French deserte, from deservir to deserve