as in debris
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the expanse of tree stumps represented the detritus of a vast forest that had been mercilessly clear-cut
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of detritus
Automotive detritus Does your car need to be cleaned out?
—
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Urbano recovered fragments of the original arena and presented them under a ceiling, lit from above and covered with dead leaves and other plant detritus.
—Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
It was designed to be incorporated into a three-dimensional exhibit where the canvas would blend into a foreground of clay, grass shrubbery, and the detritus of battle – all of it creating a you-were-there sense of reality.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Dec. 2025
The 2018 self-emptying Roomba i7+ vacuum was even able to tidy dust and detritus from specific rooms using mapping technology.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detritus
The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Urbano recovered fragments of the original arena and presented them under a ceiling, lit from above and covered with dead leaves and other plant detritus.
—Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
It was designed to be incorporated into a three-dimensional exhibit where the canvas would blend into a foreground of clay, grass shrubbery, and the detritus of battle – all of it creating a you-were-there sense of reality.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Dec. 2025
The 2018 self-emptying Roomba i7+ vacuum was even able to tidy dust and detritus from specific rooms using mapping technology.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for detritus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for detritus
Noun
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Besides damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
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Between soil prep, clearing debris, and starting seeds, there's a lot on the pre-spring gardening to-do list— and pruning tends to be one of the first tasks to tackle.—
Nishaa Sharma,
The Spruce,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Since then residents of Cincinnati's sister city in Ukraine have been bombed, killed and watched parts of their city turn to rubble.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Feb. 2026
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Eversource crews were on hand on Thursday assessing the property and digging through rubble.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The wreckage caused a fuel leak and hazmat crews responded before the lanes reopened hours later.—
Liz Crawford,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Rescuers reached the accident site soon after the accident, and the injured were pulled out of the wreckage and driven to hospitals for treatment, according to government administrator Mohan Prasad Neupane.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Russian soldiers are constantly attempting to slip into the city's ruins unnoticed in small groups, Ukrainians who spoke to ABC News said.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Some aluminum frames of his own design held large-format prints of urban ruins and renewal.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Detritus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detritus. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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