desert

1 of 4

noun (1)

des·ert ˈde-zərt How to pronounce desert (audio)

: arid land with usually sparse vegetation

especially : such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually

: an area of water apparently devoid of life

: a desolate or forbidding area

lost in a desert of doubt

archaic : a wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract

desertic

de-ˈzər-tik How to pronounce desert (audio)

adjective

desertlike

ˈde-zərt-ˌlīk How to pronounce desert (audio)

adjective

desert

2 of 4

adjective

des·ert ˈde-zərt How to pronounce desert (audio)

: desolate and sparsely occupied or unoccupied

a desert island

: of or relating to a desert (see desert entry 1)

archaic : forsaken

desert

3 of 4

verb

de·sert di-ˈzərt How to pronounce desert (audio)

deserted; deserting; deserts

transitive verb

: to withdraw from or leave usually without intent to return

desert a town

: to leave in the lurch

desert a friend in trouble

: to abandon (military service) without leave

intransitive verb

: to quit one's post, allegiance, or service without leave or justification

especially : to abandon military duty without leave and without intent to return

desert

4 of 4

noun (2)

de·sert di-ˈzərt How to pronounce desert (audio)

: deserved reward or punishment

—usually used in plural

got their just deserts

: the quality or fact of meriting reward or punishment

: excellence, worth

Did you know?

Where does the phrase just deserts come from?

Why do we say that someone has gotten their just deserts? Does this turn of phrase have anything to do with dessert (“a sweet food eaten at the end of a meal”) or desert (“a dry land with few plants and little rainfall”)? In fact, the phrase employs neither of these words. Instead, it uses a completely unrelated word that happens to be pronounced like the word for sweets and spelled like the one for a dry place: desert, meaning “reward or punishment deserved or earned by one’s qualities or acts.” This little-used noun is, as you might have guessed, related to the English verb deserve. It has nothing to do with arid, dry land, or with cookies and ice cream.

Example Sentences

Noun (1) Satellite images taken this year and 20 years ago show that the desert is in retreat thanks to a resurgence of trees.

Andy Coghlan, New Scientist, 14-20 Oct. 2006 The coastal plain is a desert in terms of precipitation—less than six inches fall annually—but what falls as snow stays to be later distributed by the wind.

John Hildebrand, Harper's, November 2003 The house finch, a songbird native to the Western desert, has proved to be highly adaptable, having rapidly colonized the Eastern states after its release on Long Island in the early 1940's.

Jane E. Brody, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2002 Adjective While my very American mother swabbed the dishes, Dad lingered at the dinner table, recreating in visceral detail the taste of mint in a Bedouin teacup under a desert sky, or the golden plumage of his father's saluki dogs, or the filigreed robes of the young king at the camel races.

Diana Abu-Jaber, Vogue, May 2007 … the place in the Texas Panhandle where Highway 66 rolled down off the land of farms and ranches into the beginnings of the desert grassland and red-rock country that dominated New Mexico.

Susan Croce Kelly, Route 66, 1988 Verb Boulet saw his longtime partner desert him in the midst of the storm, then had his wife and daughter skip town in its aftermath.

Mike Flaherty, TV Guide, 10-16 Sept. 2007 Left alone for a moment, he feels mournful, bereft—and then panicky, when he thinks he has been deserted again.

Richard Corliss, Time, 7 Mar. 2005 But now the building seemed deserted at two in the afternoon, and I soon learned that the paper, incredibly, was forced to advertise for applicants to the staff.

Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987 The inhabitants had deserted the town. She had been married for just over a year when her husband deserted her. He was deserted by his friends and family. See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin desertum, from Latin, neuter of desertus, past participle of deserere to desert, from de- + serere to join together — more at series

Verb

French déserter, from Late Latin desertare, frequentative of Latin deserere

Noun (2)

Middle English deserte, from Anglo-French, from feminine of desert, past participle of deservir to deserve

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1603, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

desert 1 of 3

noun

des·ert ˈde-zərt How to pronounce desert (audio)

: a dry land with few plants and little rainfall

desert

2 of 3

noun

de·sert di-ˈzərt How to pronounce desert (audio)

: a reward or punishment that a person deserves

He got his just deserts.

desert

3 of 3

verb

de·sert di-ˈzərt How to pronounce desert (audio)

deserted; deserting

: to leave usually without intending to return The entire population deserted the town.

: to leave a person or a thing that one should stay with

The soldier did not desert his post.

: to fail in time of need

My courage deserted me.

desert 1 of 4

noun (1)

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

barren
wasteland
wilderness
bush
desolation
heath
wild
no-man's-land
badland
waste
brush
open
outdoors
dust bowl
open air
out-of-doors
nature

desert

2 of 4

noun (2)

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

discipline
correction
punishment
fine
assessment
sentence
wrath
penalty
criticism
charge
revenge
nemesis
confinement
chastisement
comeuppance
retaliation
vengeance
retribution
example
castigation
reprisal
incarceration
imprisonment
damnation
condemnation
rebuke
censure
reprimand
reproof
denouncement
mulct

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

parole
indemnity
amnesty
pardon
exemption
impunity
immunity
vindication
acquittal
exoneration
release
exculpation
forgiveness
reprieve
disregard
remission
commutation
absolution
overlooking
remitment
condonation

desert

3 of 4

verb

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

abandon
leave
reject
jump ship
withdraw
forsake
cut off
walk out on
run out on
defect (from)
go
rat (on)
spurn
renounce
apostatize
abjure
disown
quit
depart
abdicate
renege
repudiate
go back on

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stick (to or with)
adhere (to)
cultivate
cling (to)
foster
cherish

as in to leave

to cause to remain behind deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping

Synonyms & Similar Words

leave
strand
forsake
abandon
dump
maroon
ditch
escape
junk
walk out on
fling
walk away from
sacrifice
scrap
throw away
shed
distance
quit
cut off
throw out
hand over
discard
surrender
relinquish
forget
vacate
ignore
neglect
renounce
jettison
reject
disregard
give up
yield
abjure
disown
retreat (from)
shuck (off)
separate (from)
withdraw (from)
deliver
repudiate
take off (from)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

own
reserve
keep
have
possess
reclaim
save
hold
retain
withhold
rescue
harbor
redeem

desert

4 of 4

adjective

as in arid

Synonyms & Similar Words

arid
dry
waterless
sere
thirsty
rainless
droughty
sunbaked
parched
spent
consumed
exhausted
depleted
sear
reduced
dehydrated
diminished
drained
expended
baked
used up
debilitated
dried-up
enfeebled
bankrupted
inhospitable
lessened
lifeless
barren
desolate
uncultivable
waste
bleak
untillable
impoverished
unfertile
hardscrabble
infertile
poor
unproductive
bony
stark
dead
boney

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fertile
rich
lush
fruitful
productive
luxuriant
green
arable
verdant
tillable
sylvan

Synonym Chooser

The words abandon and forsake are common synonyms of desert. While all three words mean "to leave without intending to return," desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence.

a deserted town

The words abandon and desert can be used in similar contexts, but abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection.

abandoned children

The meanings of forsake and desert largely overlap; however, forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers.

a forsaken lover

单词	desert
释义	desert 1 of 4 noun (1) des·ert ˈde-zərt 1 : arid land with usually sparse vegetation especially : such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually 2 : an area of water apparently devoid of life 3 : a desolate or forbidding area lost in a desert of doubt 4 archaic : a wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract desertic de-ˈzər-tik adjective desertlike ˈde-zərt-ˌlīk adjective desert 2 of 4 adjective des·ert ˈde-zərt 1 : desolate and sparsely occupied or unoccupied a desert island 2 : of or relating to a desert (see desert entry 1) 3 archaic : forsaken desert 3 of 4 verb de·sert di-ˈzərt deserted; deserting; deserts transitive verb 1 : to withdraw from or leave usually without intent to return desert a town 2 a : to leave in the lurch desert a friend in trouble b : to abandon (military service) without leave intransitive verb : to quit one's post, allegiance, or service without leave or justification especially : to abandon military duty without leave and without intent to return desert 4 of 4 noun (2) de·sert di-ˈzərt 1 : deserved reward or punishment —usually used in plural got their just deserts 2 : the quality or fact of meriting reward or punishment 3 : excellence, worth Did you know? Where does the phrase just deserts come from? Why do we say that someone has gotten their just deserts? Does this turn of phrase have anything to do with dessert (“a sweet food eaten at the end of a meal”) or desert (“a dry land with few plants and little rainfall”)? In fact, the phrase employs neither of these words. Instead, it uses a completely unrelated word that happens to be pronounced like the word for sweets and spelled like the one for a dry place: desert, meaning “reward or punishment deserved or earned by one’s qualities or acts.” This little-used noun is, as you might have guessed, related to the English verb deserve. It has nothing to do with arid, dry land, or with cookies and ice cream. Synonyms Noun (1) barren desolation heath no-man's-land waste wasteland Verb defect (from) rat (on) Noun (2) castigation chastisement comeuppance correction discipline nemesis penalty punishment wrath See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun (1) Satellite images taken this year and 20 years ago show that the desert is in retreat thanks to a resurgence of trees. Andy Coghlan, New Scientist, 14-20 Oct. 2006 The coastal plain is a desert in terms of precipitation—less than six inches fall annually—but what falls as snow stays to be later distributed by the wind. John Hildebrand, Harper's, November 2003 The house finch, a songbird native to the Western desert, has proved to be highly adaptable, having rapidly colonized the Eastern states after its release on Long Island in the early 1940's. Jane E. Brody, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2002 Adjective While my very American mother swabbed the dishes, Dad lingered at the dinner table, recreating in visceral detail the taste of mint in a Bedouin teacup under a desert sky, or the golden plumage of his father's saluki dogs, or the filigreed robes of the young king at the camel races. Diana Abu-Jaber, Vogue, May 2007 … the place in the Texas Panhandle where Highway 66 rolled down off the land of farms and ranches into the beginnings of the desert grassland and red-rock country that dominated New Mexico. Susan Croce Kelly, Route 66, 1988 Verb Boulet saw his longtime partner desert him in the midst of the storm, then had his wife and daughter skip town in its aftermath. Mike Flaherty, TV Guide, 10-16 Sept. 2007 Left alone for a moment, he feels mournful, bereft—and then panicky, when he thinks he has been deserted again. Richard Corliss, Time, 7 Mar. 2005 But now the building seemed deserted at two in the afternoon, and I soon learned that the paper, incredibly, was forced to advertise for applicants to the staff. Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987 The inhabitants had deserted the town. She had been married for just over a year when her husband deserted her. He was deserted by his friends and family. See More Word History Etymology Noun (1) and Adjective Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin desertum, from Latin, neuter of desertus, past participle of deserere to desert, from de- + serere to join together — more at series Verb French déserter, from Late Latin desertare, frequentative of Latin deserere Noun (2) Middle English deserte, from Anglo-French, from feminine of desert, past participle of deservir to deserve First Known Use Noun (1) 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Adjective 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb 1603, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1 Noun (2) 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Phrases Containing desert food desert desert varnish desert soil desert locust desert island desert tortoise food desert desert varnish desert soil desert locust desert island desert tortoise Kids Definition desert 1 of 3 noun des·ert ˈde-zərt : a dry land with few plants and little rainfall desert 2 of 3 noun de·sert di-ˈzərt : a reward or punishment that a person deserves He got his just deserts. desert 3 of 3 verb de·sert di-ˈzərt deserted; deserting 1 : to leave usually without intending to return The entire population deserted the town. 2 : to leave a person or a thing that one should stay with The soldier did not desert his post. 3 : to fail in time of need My courage deserted me. desert 1 of 4 noun (1) 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 barren wasteland wilderness bush desolation heath wild no-man's-land badland waste brush open outdoors dust bowl open air out-of-doors nature desert 2 of 4 noun (2) 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 discipline correction punishment fine assessment sentence wrath penalty criticism charge revenge nemesis confinement chastisement comeuppance retaliation vengeance retribution example castigation reprisal incarceration imprisonment damnation condemnation rebuke censure reprimand reproof denouncement mulct Antonyms & Near Antonyms parole indemnity amnesty pardon exemption impunity immunity vindication acquittal exoneration release exculpation forgiveness reprieve disregard remission commutation absolution overlooking remitment condonation See More desert 3 of 4 verb 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 abandon leave reject jump ship withdraw forsake cut off walk out on run out on defect (from) go rat (on) spurn renounce apostatize abjure disown quit depart abdicate renege repudiate go back on Antonyms & Near Antonyms stick (to or with) adhere (to) cultivate cling (to) foster cherish 2 as in to leave to cause to remain behind deserted the kids at the food court for some independent shopping Synonyms & Similar Words leave strand forsake abandon dump maroon ditch escape junk walk out on fling walk away from sacrifice scrap throw away shed distance quit cut off throw out hand over discard surrender relinquish forget vacate ignore neglect renounce jettison reject disregard give up yield abjure disown retreat (from) shuck (off) separate (from) withdraw (from) deliver repudiate take off (from) Antonyms & Near Antonyms own reserve keep have possess reclaim save hold retain withhold rescue harbor redeem See More desert 4 of 4 adjective as in arid Synonyms & Similar Words arid dry waterless sere thirsty rainless droughty sunbaked parched spent consumed exhausted depleted sear reduced dehydrated diminished drained expended baked used up debilitated dried-up enfeebled bankrupted inhospitable lessened lifeless barren desolate uncultivable waste bleak untillable impoverished unfertile hardscrabble infertile poor unproductive bony stark dead boney Antonyms & Near Antonyms fertile rich lush fruitful productive luxuriant green arable verdant tillable sylvan See More Synonym Chooser The words abandon and forsake are common synonyms of desert. While all three words mean "to leave without intending to return," desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence. a deserted town The words abandon and desert can be used in similar contexts, but abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection. abandoned children The meanings of forsake and desert largely overlap; however, forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers. a forsaken lover
随便看	Fat Tuesday fat-burning fat-cat fat-chewing fat-choy fat-free fat-kidneyed fat-rumped sheep fat-shame fat-shamed fat-shamer fat-shamers fat-shames fat-shaming fat-tailed lemur fat-tailed sheep fat-witted fata morgana fata morganas Fata viam invenient fatal fataler fatalest fatalism fatalisms

desert

noun (1)

adjective

verb

noun (2)

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing desert

Kids Definition

noun

noun

verb

noun (1)

noun (2)

verb

adjective

Synonym Chooser