debacle

noun de·ba·cle \ dē-ˈbä-kəl , di- , -ˈba- ; nonstandard ˈde-bə-kəl \

variants: or less commonly débâcle play \ also dā-ˈbäk(lᵊ)\

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: debacle in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Origin of debacle is French

Definition of debacle

1 a : a great disaster

b : a complete failure : fiasco

2 : a tumultuous breakup of ice in a river

3 : a violent disruption (as of an army) : rout

See debacle defined for English-language learners

See debacle defined for kids

debacle was our Word of the Day on 09/11/2010. Hear the podcast!

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

High electricity costs were an important factor, along with the refugee influx, in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s election debacle last year.

— george melloan, WSJ, "Pruitt Leaves a Proud Legacy at the EPA," 11 July 2018
Luckily, everyone quickly forgot about the whole debacle when the star hit Instagram on Sunday to share an impromptu, casual, pure flames photoshoot staged on Beyoncé's private jet.

— lucy wood, Marie Claire, "Beyoncé's On The Run II Tour Stage Malfunctioned and Left Her Stranded," 2 July 2018
My boyfriend finds the whole debacle hilarious, and no amount of bathing and scrubbing evens out the patchiest areas.

— georgia murray, refinery29.com, "I'm A Tanning Virgin — Can The King Of Tan Convert Me?," 27 June 2018
This year Katy Perry was one of about half a dozen big names on the screen, joking about the Left Shark debacle at the Super Bowl in 2015 and comparing the uncoordinated backup dancer to the Oracle of Omaha himself.

— New York Times, "There’s Only One Warren Buffett," 7 May 2018
Amid these debacles and many other skirmishes on the world stage, the date of Trump’s visit to the U.K. kept being pushed back.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Everything You Need to Know About Trump’s Controversial U.K. Visit," 12 July 2018
Stephen Colbert is prepared to decode Melania Trump’s fashion after her eyebrow-raising wardrobe debacle last week.

— erin ben-moche, latimes.com, "'Melania Trump' tells Stephen Colbert her fashion choices are misunderstood," 27 June 2018
The episode, despite its debacles getting started, ended on a high note with the Cornelia Marie crew.

— tyler mccarthy, Fox News, "'Deadliest Catch' Season 14, Episode 10 recap: tempers flare as a new fishing season gets off to a rocky start," 13 June 2018
Zuckerberg is also expected to talk to the European lawmakers about his company's commitment to Europe, actions Facebook has taken following the Cambridge Analytica debacle and the work the company is doing to protect the integrity of elections.

— NBC News, "Zuckerberg to be grilled in Brussels over Cambridge Analytica scandal," 22 May 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1802

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year