debrief

verb

de·​brief (ˌ)dē-ˈbrēf 

debriefed; debriefing; debriefs

transitive verb

1

: to interrogate (someone, such as a pilot) usually upon return (as from a mission) in order to obtain useful information

The hostages were later debriefed by police.

2

: to carefully review upon completion

debrief the flight

intransitive verb

: to be interrogated for useful information following a mission, experience, etc. : to be debriefed

After each mission, … the pilots land, disarm and roll into the fuel pit. They spend another hour debriefing with Intelligence …

—Maria Wilhelm

Examples of debrief in a Sentence

Police debriefed the hostages upon their return.

The pilot was debriefed after his flight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Afterward, Fauci met with a Chinese delegation, comprised of various CCP members, to debrief them on the NIH’s collaborative work with China. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026

There isn’t too much time to debrief, since Dunham is late getting out the door. — Grace Byron, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2026

After a long international camp away from family and three Euros qualifiers, a few minutes in person to debrief the performance and look to the future were clearly well received by the midfielder, who was excellent on the day. — Gregg Evans, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

The next morning, Saturday, July 4, the sisters debriefed over breakfast bagels while watching ships sail up the Hudson River to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for debrief

• belief
• broadleaf
• flyleaf
• khalif
• kharif
• longleaf
• massif
• motif
• relief
• saif
• serif
• beef

Kids Definition

debrief

verb

de·​brief di-ˈbrēf 

ˈdē-

: to question (as an astronaut) on return from a mission or assignment in order to obtain useful information