The Collaborative International Dictionary
Desert \De*sert"\ (d[-e]*z[~e]rt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deserted; p. pr. & vb. n. Deserting.] [Cf. L. desertus, p. p. of deserere to desert, F. d['e]serter. See 2d Desert.]
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. ``The deserted fortress.''
--Prescott.(Mil.) 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.
Wiktionary
vb. (present participle of desert English)
Usage examples of "deserting".
He had sworn eternal constancy in her arms, and she bad as often vowed never to out-live his deserting her.
The ruin, therefore, of the poor girl must, he foresaw, unavoidably attend his deserting her.
It is by falling into fiction, therefore, that we generally offend against this rule, of deserting probability, which the historian seldom, if ever, quits, till he forsakes his character and commences a writer of romance.
It then went on to accuse them of "aiding and assisting" in running away with the ship and handing her over to the enemy, deserting, "holding intelligence with the enemy", and "concealing mutinous designs".
Ramage had watched the four closely while Gowers was reading, and the deputy judge advocate had, probably without realizing it, given a slight emphasis to each key word - mutiny, murder, deserting - like a carpenter - hammering home the nails of a box.
It remained to cover running away with the ship, deserting and "holding intelligence with the enemy".
He had sworn eternal constancy in her arms, and she had as often vowed never to outlive his deserting her.
Whether this stemmed from old age, exhaustion, or disease he did not know, but it did suggest another reason the Yuuzhan Vong were deserting the dilapidated worldship.
His brisk tone suggested he had lifted himself out of the torpor into which he had sunk when her speech failed to bring the deserting senators and their pilfered flotillas back to Coruscant.
From what Ricyn had told him, she'd made her kills out of luck alone, and luck has a way of deserting a man in battle.
That central image of his is most apt and striking, where he says that we're like watchmen for an army, appointed by the gods for reasons we can't know, and so to kill yourself is deserting your post.
Soon Jill's hands were flapping inconsequentially at the powrie's barrel-like torso, her strength fast deserting her.
He could hardly believe that Bradwarden would so leave their friends behind, deserting the pair in so perilous a situation.