Skip to content

desertar

to desert; to abandon

verb deh-sehr-TAHR Rare

Origin: From Latin desertare, frequentative of deserere 'to abandon'.

Also means

to defect

Usage Note

Desertar most commonly refers to a soldier abandoning military duty without permission. It also applies broadly to leaving a group, cause, or obligation — desertar de sus responsabilidades means to shirk one's responsibilities. The noun form is deserción.

Examples

"El soldado decidió desertar del ejército."

Natural Translation

The soldier decided to desert the army.

Explore Spanish by topic