deserted 1 of 2

Definition of desertednext

deserted

2 of 2

verb

past tense of desert

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deserted
Adjective
Videos on social media showed militant convoys in trucks and motorcycles moving through the town's deserted streets, while residents looked on fearfully. CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026 Videos on social media showed militant convoys in trucks and motorcycles moving through the town’s deserted streets, while residents looked on fearfully. Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026 Unlike the shopping mall other businesses across the city appear deserted, and their corridors are rife with shuttered stores. Cnn Staff, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026 Sometimes the most heartwarming stories come from the most unexpected places — like a security camera inside a deserted Russian water park at night. Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026 The boy runs toward the water as the pair explore and play throughout the deserted park, including splashing in pools and moving through different areas of the facility. Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026 As the pandemic set in, Garrison occasionally drove downtown in his Cadillac and met with Claude Kelly, the public defender, in his deserted office. Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 Activities include seeing the filming locations of the 2000 movie Cast Away, which follows a FedEx analyst (Hanks) who becomes stranded on a deserted island after his plane crashes, as well as a Captain’s dinner. Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 5 Apr. 2026 For an additional charge, catamaran rentals, scuba diving, and visits to deserted islands can be arranged. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Idle oil wells cleanup Senate Bill 47 raises the cap on how much money from the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund can be spent to plug and cleanup deserted oil wells, according to the California State Senate website. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado april 22, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026 But classrooms sat half-empty and the playground was deserted. Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026 As befits such an environment, his handling of tactile stuff—not just silk and fur but bread and brickwork, too—never deserted him. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 But on Saturday, his powers of recovery deserted him, and – by the end of the day – so had his lead. Don Riddell, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026 On Saturday, two of Britain’s great strengths — fast starting and the ability to climb through the fleet after a poor start — both deserted them. Andrew Rice, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026 The normally bustling streets of Islamabad were deserted Saturday morning as security forces sealed roads ahead of the talks. ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026 Albuquerque’s fleet had been struck by famine, and many of his men had deserted him. Sanat Pai Raikarall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026 For 80 years the lighthouse sat deserted. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deserted
Adjective
  • The city has been overwhelmed in recent years by an influx of abandoned and stray dogs and puppies.
    Alyce McFadden, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Antonia Noori Farzan The Providence Police Department is urging drivers to stay off the road, saying that stuck and abandoned cars are causing problems and preventing the city from getting back to normal.
    Eryn Dion, The Providence Journal, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.
    Anne M. Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
  • Voters in a 1986 retention election rejected Rose Bird, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, and two liberal colleagues, over dissatisfaction with decisions overturning numerous death penalty sentences.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • It is already known that it will be located on the grounds of a disused former nursery and will include a large pond with a pergola.
    Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 14 Apr. 2026
  • The museum will be housed in a disused aquarium in Yeouido, Seoul’s main financial district.
    News Desk, Artforum, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Vaughn Sharp hit an RBI double in the third for the Mustangs but Sharp was left stranded on third when Blaine retired the next two batters.
    Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were livestreamed across the globe.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Introducing the setting with a majestic crane shot (particularly immersive in 3D), his camera soars above the cave and surveys the desolate landscape.
    Eric Kohn, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
  • For myself, having a Wrangler is the perfect vehicle to just drive these desolate roads.
    Morgan Korn, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Carpentersville firefighters this week are using a vacant home at 14 Golfview Lane for training exercises.
    Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Jimmie Hayes, 50, was arrested Wednesday inside a vacant home in the 1000 block of Read Street, the Wilmington Police Department said in a news release.
    Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • When Ken Fulk and Kurt Wootton purchased what would become Durham Ranch—named after one of their dogs—the California wine country property was in disrepair, with a derelict 1940s ranch house and a handful of rickety outbuildings.
    Mark David, Robb Report, 17 Mar. 2026
  • This stretch of the park, an object of fascination for Urbano, contains an array of a hundred or so different models of public gaslights, now obsolete and semi-derelict.
    Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • If the Bills are looking to find a fullback type to fill the vacated Reggie Gilliam role, Nowakowski could be an interesting name to monitor.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Although Ninth Circuit judges couldn’t cite the vacated Jones decision as a precedent, nothing stopped them from repeating all the same reasoning to reach a similar result in a similar case.
    Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Deserted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deserted. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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