Usage Note
Déserter applies to soldiers who abandon their post (a serious military offence) but also to any context of abandoning a place or cause (déserter ses responsabilités). The related noun déserteur (deserter) is masculine; la désertion is the act itself. In familiar speech it can simply mean 'to leave' a place that becomes empty.
Examples
"Il a déserté l'armée pendant la guerre."
Natural Translation
He deserted the army during the war.
Free starter pack
Building your French vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore French by topic
FrenchNow
7 min read