desert

noun

/ˈdezət/

/ˈdezərt/

[countable, uncountable] see also deserts

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a large area of land that has very little water and very few plants growing on it. Many deserts are covered by sand.
- the Sahara Desert
- Somalia is mostly desert.
- They travelled many miles across burning desert sands.
- Occasionally, we passed a desert oasis surrounded by small tracts of grass and shrub.
- (figurative) The town has become a cultural desert (= a place without any culture).
Extra Examples
- He drove off into the desert.
- The desert stretched for endless miles on all sides of us.
- The land loses its protective cover of vegetation and soon turns into desert.
- cold nights in the desert
- green fields surrounded by arid desert
- their journey across the desert
- vast tracts of desert land
Topics Geographya2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- arid
- barren
- dry
- …
verb + desert
- become
- turn into
- turn to
- …
desert + verb
- stretch
desert + noun
- area
- country
- land
- …
preposition
- across the desert
- through the desert
- in the desert
- …
See full entry
Word Originnoun Middle English: via Old French from late Latin desertum ‘something left waste’, neuter past participle of deserere ‘leave, forsake’.

desert

verb

/dɪˈzɜːt/

/dɪˈzɜːrt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they desert	/dɪˈzɜːt/ /dɪˈzɜːrt/
he / she / it deserts	/dɪˈzɜːts/ /dɪˈzɜːrts/
past simple deserted	/dɪˈzɜːtɪd/ /dɪˈzɜːrtɪd/
past participle deserted	/dɪˈzɜːtɪd/ /dɪˈzɜːrtɪd/
-ing form deserting	/dɪˈzɜːtɪŋ/ /dɪˈzɜːrtɪŋ/

Idioms

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[transitive] desert somebody to leave somebody without help or support synonym abandon
- She was deserted by her husband.
- Don’t worry—I won’t desert you.
Homophones desert | dessert
desert dessert
/dɪˈzɜːt/

/dɪˈzɜːrt/
- desert verb
  His companions desert him as he dies.
- dessert noun
  Summer pudding has long been a favourite English dessert.
[transitive, often passive] desert something to go away from a place and leave it empty synonym abandon
- The villages had been deserted.
- The owl seems to have deserted its nest.
- He was accused of deserting his post.
[intransitive, transitive] to leave the armed forces without permission
- Large numbers of soldiers deserted as defeat became inevitable.
- desert something The soldiers had deserted the US army to fight for Mexico.
Topics War and conflictb2
[transitive] to leave an organization or stop doing an activity, especially in a way that is considered bad and disloyal
- desert something Millions of voters are deserting the party.
- desert something for something Why did you desert teaching for politics?
[transitive] desert somebody if a particular quality deserts you, it is not there when you need it
- Her courage seemed to desert her for a moment.

Word Originverb late Middle English: from Old French deserter, from late Latin desertare, from Latin desertus ‘left waste’ from deserere ‘leave, forsake’.

Idioms

(like rats) deserting/leaving a sinking ship

(humorous, disapproving) used to talk about people who leave an organization, a company, etc. that is having difficulties, without caring about the people who are left