- (a.) Of or pertaining to a desert; forsaken; without life or cultivation; unproductive; waste; barren; wild; desolate; solitary; as, they landed on a desert island.
- (v.t.) To leave (especially something which one should stay by and support); to leave in the lurch; to abandon; to forsake; -- implying blame, except sometimes when used of localities; as, to desert a friend, a principle, a cause, one's country.
- (v.t.) To abandon (the service) without leave; to forsake in violation of duty; to abscond from; as, to desert the army; to desert one's colors.
- (v.i.) To abandon a service without leave; to quit military service without permission, before the expiration of one's term; to abscond.
- (n.) A tract, which may be capable of sustaining a population, but has been left unoccupied and uncultivated; a wilderness; a solitary place.
- (n.) A deserted or forsaken region; a barren tract incapable of supporting population, as the vast sand plains of Asia and Africa are destitute and vegetation.
- (n.) That which is deserved; the reward or the punishment justly due; claim to recompense, usually in a good sense; right to reward; merit.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). desert. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/desert/definitions/1996541 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "desert" http://smartdefine.org/desert/definitions/1996541 (accessed September 23, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, desert, Smart Define, viewed 23 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/desert/definitions/1996541>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "desert" 27 May 2011. Web. 23 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/desert/definitions/1996541> |