arid land with little or no vegetation
"The hikers struggled across the vast desert, where nothing but sand and rock stretched as far as the eye could see."
(usually plural) a person's deservingness of or entitlement to reward or punishment
"The judge decided that the defendant had earned his desert through years of community service before sentencing him for the minor infraction."
That which is deserved or merited; a just punishment or reward
"The explorer stepped carefully over the sharp rocks as they ventured deeper into the vast desert where no green plant could survive."
A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland.
In plain English: A desert is a very dry place with almost no rain and very little plant life.
"The camel wandered across the vast, sandy desert under the hot sun."
Usage: Use "desert" as a noun to describe a dry, barren region with little water or plant life, such as the Sahara. Remember that this spelling applies only when referring to the physical landscape, not the act of abandoning something.
To leave (anything that depends on one's presence to survive, exist, or succeed), especially when contrary to a promise or obligation; to abandon; to forsake.
"After years of funding our small business, the investors deserted us just as we were about to break even."
In plain English: To desert someone means to leave them behind when they need you most.
"He decided to desert his friends after they had helped him for years."
Usage: Use "desert" as a verb specifically when someone abandons a person, duty, or cause, often breaking an implied promise of support. Do not use it for physical locations like sand dunes, which require the noun form with an accent (désert) in some contexts but usually just "desert" as a noun in American English.
Usually of a place: abandoned, deserted, or uninhabited.
"After years of neglect, the old lighthouse stood alone in an eerie desert where not even a seagull dared to land."
In plain English: Desert means something that is extremely dry and has very little rain.
"The camel struggled across the vast desert landscape."
Usage: Use "desert" as an adjective to describe a place that has been abandoned or left empty by its inhabitants. Do not confuse this with the verb meaning to leave behind, which requires different spelling rules for past tense forms.
The word "desert" entered English from the Middle French term for wilderness, which itself came from a Latin verb meaning to abandon. It replaced an older native English word for wasteland and is not related to the ancient Egyptian word that sounds similar.