home Laurent Champoussin desert des⋅ert [dez-ert] –noun 1. a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all: The Sahara is a vast sandy desert. 2. any area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil. 3. an area of the ocean in which it is believed no marine life exists. 4. (formerly) any unsettled area between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains thought to be unsuitable for human habitation. 5. any place lacking in something: The town was a cultural desert. d a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z dangle death darkness deprivation deer desert desk destruction dif-doi decapitate dairy dead defeat