Definition of debacle
1 : a tumultuous breakup of ice in a river
2 : a violent disruption (as of an army) : rout
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Examples of debacle in a Sentence
What a debacle. Next thing he knew, one of the patients would turn up dead. —T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993
So what had been intended as an orderly hearing ended in a general debacle, for as soon as Fray Domingo saw his protector dragged toward the exit door, he leaped at the guards and began pummeling them. —James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
Savings themselves evaporate in the course of such a debacle and thus the very wherewithal for reversing and retrieving the situation is lost … —Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, 1984
After the debacle of his first novel, he had trouble getting a publisher for his next book.
the financial debacle that was the stock market crash of 1929
Recent Examples of debacle from the Web
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Mackanin and McClure met with Neris the morning after the debacle in LA.
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There are no winners in the debacle over the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.
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Orlando airport shuttle debacle was crash of history, glitches and surprise »
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BA, meanwhile, is counting up the cost of an IT debacle that some have estimated could run into the tens of millions.
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Trump’s new message discipline coincided nicely with the final debacle of his opponent’s campaign – the yes-
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Cruz (8-2, 4.11 ERA) has won four straight starts since the Dominguez Hills debacle, allowing only six earned runs in 29 innings.
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The debacle embarrassed the Pentagon and contributed to President Carter’s loss in the election that year.
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The longtime Flint Journal reporter has written more than 300 articles about the water debacle since the city began using the corrosive Flint River as its drinking source in early 2014.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'debacle'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Origin of Debacle is French
Debacle comes from the French noun débâcle, which comes from the verb débâcler, meaning "to clear," "to unbolt," or "to unbar." That verb is from Middle French desbacler, which joined the prefix des- (equivalent to our de-, meaning "to do the opposite of") with the verb "bacler" ("to block"). In its original uses, "debacle" meant a breaking up of ice, or the rush of ice or water that follows such an occurrence. Eventually, "debacle" was used also to mean "a violent, destructive flood." Naturally, such uses led to meanings such as "a breaking up," "collapse," and finally "disaster" or "fiasco."
Origin and Etymology of debacle
French débâcle, from débâcler to clear, from Middle French desbacler, from des- de- + bacler to block, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *bacculare, from Latin baculum staff
DEBACLE Defined for English Language Learners
debacle
playDefinition of debacle for English Language Learners
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: a great disaster or complete failure
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See words that rhyme with debacle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for debacle Spanish Central: Translation of debacle Nglish: Translation of debacle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of debacle for Arabic speakers
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