Dictionary definition · desert
noun
- arid land with little or no vegetation
- (usually plural) a person's deservingness of or entitlement to reward or punishment
verb
- leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch"The mother deserted her children"
- 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"
- leave behind"the students deserted the campus after the end of exam period"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).