as in barren
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops
we were lost in the desert for days without food
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in discipline
usually deserts plural
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
the robbers got their just deserts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to abandon
to leave (a cause or party) often in order to take up another
the volunteer became disillusioned with his candidate and deserted to a political rival
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to leave
to cause to remain behind
deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in arid
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of desert
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
The temporary ban applies to areas within the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to a news release from the agency.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2022
Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
Smith will face Carrington and her old team on July 16 when the Aces cross the desert for a matchup against the Wings in Dallas, for their last game before the All Star break.
—Grace Jordan-Weinstein, People.com, 1 July 2025
Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2025
But the normally bustling plaza was all but deserted when Mayor Karen Bass visited Sunday morning.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for desert
Noun
Cocktail grapefruit grows wherever conventional grapefruit grows, although fruit quality is best, as with grapefruit generally, in desert or semi-desert conditions.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025
The temporary ban applies to areas within the South Coast Air Basin, which includes Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to a news release from the agency.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2022
Verb
If Chambers is successful in raising around $1 million more in funding, the plan is to head for the Atacama Desert in Chile in 2026 for samples of the world’s driest nonpolar desert.
—Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
Smith will face Carrington and her old team on July 16 when the Aces cross the desert for a matchup against the Wings in Dallas, for their last game before the All Star break.
—Grace Jordan-Weinstein, People.com, 1 July 2025
Adjective
Never desert a blaze: Avoid abandoning any fire without supervision.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 20 June 2025
But the normally bustling plaza was all but deserted when Mayor Karen Bass visited Sunday morning.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for desert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desert
Verb
-
Retired repos add risk: When maintainers abandon a namespace, attackers can adopt it and push trojan updates.—
Syed Ahmed,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Never desert a blaze: Avoid abandoning any fire without supervision.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Only three of the top seven players in the world are left in the draw.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
5 July 2025
-
Capital Gains: Stability Reigns Surprisingly, the legislation leaves capital gains rates untouched.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Scientists believe that during the Triassic period, this part of Arizona was an arid place positioned in the middle of Pangaea right above the equator, later submerged by a flood that likely buried all the creatures preserved in the bonebed.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 July 2025
-
Kentucky is relatively water-rich, compared to parts of the arid southwest, but has suffered droughts in recent years, as the region's rainfall shifts toward more intense, clustered events.—
Connor Giffin,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
New York Senator Julia Salazar, who was among the electeds observing hearings Thursday called for New Yorkers to reject what is happening inside lower Manhattan immigration courts.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
5 July 2025
-
But her boss rejects her resignation, and offers her a new assignment: find Xavier, the mysterious kingpin whose power reaches all the way to the Oval Office.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
Then, hold off on watering again until the soil is dry.—
Chris McKeown,
The Enquirer,
5 July 2025
-
His voice guided viewers through the storylines with dry humor and Southern charm.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
Of course, the former two had retired whereas the latter had only temporarily withdrawn.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
4 July 2025
-
The traffic receded as Chicago withdrew into the distance behind me on Interstate 90.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
While urban areas like Los Angeles are under mandatory drought restrictions to reduce strain on state reservoirs, many rural residents reliant on groundwater wells are waterless.—
Tribune Content Agency,
oregonlive,
27 Nov. 2022
-
Other eco-friendly measures include a solid waste incinerator to turn waste into non-toxic ash and a waterless urinal to reduce unnecessary usage.—
Camille Fine,
USA TODAY,
22 Aug. 2022
Adjective
-
Wilted leaves are the first sign your plant is thirsty.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 July 2025
-
Just don't overthink it — water when your plant looks thirsty, and ease off when the soil feels too moist.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desert. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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