desert
[noun]
Synonyms: wilderness, solitude, waste, wasteland, wilds
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[verb]
Synonyms: abandon, abscond, forsake, jilt, leave, leave stranded, maroon, quit, strand, walk out on (informal)

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Antonyms: cleave (to), stick (to)
Contrasted words: adhere, cohere, abide, remain, stay
Related Idioms: just deserts, go over the hill
Related Words: chastening, chastisement, discipline, disciplining, punishment, depart, go, leave, abscond, decamp, escape, flee, fly

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English Thesaurus: sand, beach, desert, dune/sand dun

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. des‧ert¹ W3 /ˈdezət $ -ərt/ noun
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: Late Latin desertum, from Latin desertus, past participle of deserere 'to desert']

1. [uncountable and countable] a large area of land where it is always very dry, and there is a lot of sand:
the Sahara Desert
This area of the country is mostly desert.
in the desert
The plane crash-landed in the desert.

2. [countable] a place where there is no activity or where nothing interesting happens:
The railroad yard was a desert now.
HINT:
► Do not confuse with dessert (=the sweet part of a meal).

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. de‧sert² /dɪˈzɜːt $ -ˈzɜːrt/ verb
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: French; Origin: déserter, from Latin desertus; ⇒ desert¹]

1. [transitive] to leave someone or something and no longer help or support them Synonym : abandon:
Helen was deserted by her husband.
Many of the party’s traditional voters deserted it at the last election.
The price rise caused many readers to desert the magazine.
desert somebody for somebody
He deserted her for another woman.

2. [transitive] to leave a place so that it is completely empty Synonym : abandon:
The birds have deserted their nest.

3. [intransitive] to leave the army, navy etc without permission:
Several hundred soldiers have deserted.

4. [transitive] if a feeling, quality, or skill deserts you, you no longer have it, especially at a time when you need it:
Mike’s confidence seemed to have deserted him.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

desert
noun
ADJ. arid, barren, dry green fields surrounded by arid desert
vast | inhospitable | Arctic, polar | cultural (figurative) The theatre and cinema closed and the town became a cultural desert.
VERB + DESERT become, turn into/to The land loses its protective cover of vegetation and soon turns into desert.
cross He became the first person to cross the desert on foot.
DESERT + VERB stretch The desert stretched for endless miles on all sides of us.
DESERT + NOUN area, country, land, landscape, region vast tracts of desert land
conditions | heat | sand, soil | floor, surface | plain | animal, plant
PREP. across/through the ~ their journey across the desert
in the ~ cold nights in the desert
into the ~ He drove off into the desert.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

desert

vast (=extremely big)
the vast Gobi desert in China
empty (=with no buildings or people in it)
Outside the city there was nothing but empty desert.
arid (=with very little rain)
Very little can grow in this arid desert.
an inhospitable desert (=not easy to live or stay in)
The interior of the country is an inhospitable desert.
a barren desert (=where no plants can grow)
Years of intensive farming have turned the area into a barren desert.
a desert area/region
A hot dry wind blows from the desert areas of North Africa.
a desert landscape
the flat desert landscape outside Kuwait
desert country/land
Large parts of Oman are desert country.
the desert sun/heat
Animals shelter from the desert sun during the day.
a stretch/expanse of desert (=a very large area of desert)
In front of us was nothing but a vast expanse of desert.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

desert
noun
BAD: I was miles from anywhere, stuck on a desert country road.
GOOD: I was miles from anywhere, stuck on a deserted country road.

Usage Note:
desert = a large area of land, where there is usually nothing but sand: 'the Sahara Desert'
deserted = empty and quiet, especially because the people who are usually there have all left: 'I came back to find the house dark and deserted.' 'At night, the city streets are deserted.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

sand a substance that forms beaches and deserts, or an area of this substance:
sunbathers lying on the sand
He could see several small figures out on the sands.
beach an area of sand or small stones at the edge of the sea or a lake:
the island's golden beaches
How about a day at the beach?
a pebble beach
desert a large area of land where it is always very hot and dry, and there is a lot of sand:
the Sahara desert
They crossed the desert by camel.
dune/sand dune a hill made of sand near the sea or in the desert:
We went for a long walk along the dunes.
The dunes are home to a wide variety of birds and plants.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲