debacle
noun
Did you know?
The Origin of Debacle Is French
If you need an icebreaker in some social setting, why not recount the history of debacle? After all, when it was first used in English, debacle referred to the literal breaking up of ice (such as the kind that occurs in a river after a long, cold winter), as well as to the rush of ice or water that follows such an event. Eventually, it was also used to mean “a violent, destructive flood.” If that’s not enough to make some fast friends, you could let loose the fact that debacle comes from the French noun débâcle, which in turn comes from the verb débâcler, meaning “to clear, unbolt, or unbar.” You might then add, to your listeners’ grateful appreciation, that these uses led naturally to such meanings as “a breaking up,” “collapse,” and finally the familiar “disaster” and “fiasco.” We can feel the silence thawing already.
Examples of debacle in a Sentence
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
Aron Solomon, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Melvin, the private in Arnold’s contingent, recorded the logistical debacle in his journal.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025
Perhaps the biggest blow came in 2021, when a multimillion-dollar deal to build an office tower by the Marble Collegiate Church in NoMad fell through after its development partner went bankrupt — a debacle many congregants blamed for the institution’s current financial issues.
—Téa Kvetenadze, New York Daily News, 9 May 2025
The City Council should act rapidly to effect the rescission to address the latest city of San Diego debacle.
— James Berg, San Diego
The Union-Tribune has done an excellent job covering the trash debacle that residents of San Diego are experiencing.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for debacle
Cite this Entry
“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debacle. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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debacle
noun
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