1
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
1
: desolate and sparsely occupied or unoccupied
a desert island
2
: of or relating to a desert (see desert entry 1)
3
archaic
: forsaken
deserted; deserting; deserts
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
: to quit one's post, allegiance, or service without leave or justification
especially
: to abandon military duty without leave and without intent to return
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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