Definition of "deserter" [de•sert•er]

• A person who has physically removed him- or herself from the control or direction of a military or naval unit with the intention of permanently leaving (noun)
• Under the United States Code of Military Justice, a person who has been placed on AWOL status for more than 30 days (noun)

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• "And she remembered during the Civil War her father weren't in the war, but he would search for what they call a deserter, hunt deserters."
• "War her father weren't in the war, but he would search for what they call a deserter, hunt deserters."
• "Some bands, in strong positions, fought gallantly, but in the end every deserter from the militia met death."