desertion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One of his first initiatives is an audit of battlefield losses -- ranking commanders based on casualty levels, in an attempt to address high levels of desertion among rank-and-file troops and the unpopularity of mobilisation.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

The charges included voluntary surrender, attempting to voluntarily surrender and desertion from a military unit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

There have been nearly 300,000 cases of desertion, or soldiers going absent without official leave, since the start of Russia's full scale invasion - and numbers have risen dramatically over the past year.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

The Franklin Institute acquired the plane in 1933, when Bergdoll was living as a fugitive in Germany, to which he had fled after his conviction for desertion.

From New York Times • Nov. 29, 2024

“Stop bluffing, Colonel. You can’t court- martial me for desertion in the face of the enemy. It would make you look bad and you probably couldn’t get a conviction.”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller