What does deserting mean?
Deserting is the present participle and gerund of the verb "to desert", meaning to leave a person, place, or duty without permission and with no intention of returning. Its most serious use is military: a soldier deserting a post or unit commits a punishable offence, historically among the gravest in armed forces law. Beyond the battlefield, the word applies whenever someone abandons people or obligations that rely on them — parents deserting children, allies deserting a cause, or residents deserting a declining town. The term carries strong moral weight: it implies betrayal rather than mere departure, which distinguishes it from neutral alternatives like "leaving" or "withdrawing". Derived from the Latin deserere, "to forsake or quit", the word entered English via Old French and has retained its disapproving force for centuries. It remains a vivid choice when a speaker wants to stress that loyalty was owed and abandoned.
verb (present participle and gerund)The present participle and gerund of the verb "desert": leaving a person, place, or duty without permission or intending not to return; abandoning someone or something when they most need support.
- To leave military service or one's post without permission, especially in wartime.
- To abandon a person who depends on you or whom you have a duty to support.
- To withdraw from or give up a place, cause, or activity.
"Soldiers caught deserting their posts during wartime faced court-martial."
"He was charged with deserting his unit on the eve of battle."
"Critics accused the party of deserting its founding principles."
The word for walking away comes from the same Latin verb that gives us "exert" — literally to un-join yourself from the line.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of deserting
Deserting derives from the Latin deserere, formed from de- (indicating removal) plus serere, "to join or put in a row", so the original sense is to un-join oneself from the line or ranks. The word passed into English through Old French deservir/desert in the late medieval period, with the sense of abandoning duty well established by the early modern era. It shares this root with related formations such as "desertion" and "deserter", and more distantly with words built on Latin serere like "assert", "insert", "exert", and "series".
Related word forms
How deserting is actually used
Carries strongly negative connotations, implying betrayal of duty or loyalty; it is more condemnatory than neutral terms like "leaving". In legal and military contexts, deserting is a serious offence distinct from ordinary absence without leave.
Easily confused with deserting
"Desert" (one s) means to abandon or an arid land; "dessert" (two ss) is the sweet course at the end of a meal.