desert
gb/dˈɛzɚt/ us/dˈɛzɚt/
A2
Anglais
~ 4500
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
Dry, barren area of land
A big, dry place with almost no rain and very few plants.
Schéma d’usage :
the [adjective] desert
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'desert' with 'dessert' (sweet food after a meal).
Synonymes
wasteland (Emphasizes complete emptiness and lack of life.)
Antonymes
forest (A forest is full of trees and receives much more rainfall.)
Collocations
hot desert
|Sahara Desert
|desert climate
|desert landscape
|desert region
Thèmes
geography
|nature
|travel
Exemples
- The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world.
- Many animals in the desert are active only at night.
- They crossed the desert on camels.
- This plant can survive in the harsh desert environment.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The desert is very hot in the day.
- Camels live in the desert.
- We saw sand in the desert.
- It does not rain much in the desert.
Verbe
B1
action
2
Leave someone or something behind
To go away from someone or something and not come back, often when you are needed.
Schéma d’usage :
to desert [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this with 'deserve' due to similar pronunciation.
Synonymes
abandon (Very close in meaning; 'abandon' is more common in general contexts.)
Antonymes
support (To stay with and help someone instead of leaving them.)
Collocations
desert a friend
|desert a post
|desert one's family
|desert the army
Thèmes
relationships
|military
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- He would never desert his friends in trouble.
- The soldiers deserted their posts during the night.
- She felt deserted by her colleagues after the failure.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He deserted his friend in need.
- The man deserted his family.
- The soldiers deserted the camp.
Nom
B2
entity
3
What someone deserves
A result that is fair for someone’s actions, usually bad as punishment.
Erreur fréquente :
Often misspelled as 'desserts'. This sense is mostly used in the fixed phrase 'just deserts'.
Synonymes
comeuppance (Informal term meaning deserved punishment.)
Antonymes
undeserved reward (Something received without merit.)
Collocations
just deserts
Thèmes
justice
|law
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- He got his just deserts for lying to everyone.
- Villains eventually meet their deserts.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He got his just deserts.
- Bad people get their deserts.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
desert
API
GB/dˈɛzɚt/
US/dˈɛzɚt/
Syllabes et accentuation
desert (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (desert)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: desert
- Plural: deserts
Verb
- Base: desert
- 3rd Person Singular: deserts
- Present Participle: deserting
- Past: deserted
Famille de mots
Forms
deserts
noun
deserting
verb
deserted
verb
Advanced or less common
desertify
verb
desertification
noun C1
Expressions
just deserts
1/d͡ʒˈʌst dˈɛzɚts/
fixed phrase
Deserved outcome for actions
The fair and right result for what someone has done, usually bad as punishment.
Exemples
- After years of cheating, he finally got his just deserts.
- The corrupt official faced his just deserts in court.
desert island
1/dˈɛzɚt ˈaɪlənd/
fixed phrase
Uninhabited remote island
A small island with no people living there, often far from other land.
Exemples
- He dreamed of escaping to a desert island.
- They were stranded on a desert island for weeks.
- Being stranded on a desert island is a common story in books.
- He dreamed of living alone on a desert island.