debacle

noun

de·​ba·​cle dē-ˈbä-kəl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
di-,
-ˈba- How to pronounce debacle (audio)
nonstandard
ˈde-bə-kəl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
variants or less commonly débâcle
dē-ˈbä-kəl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
di-,
-ˈba- How to pronounce debacle (audio)
 also  dā-ˈbäk(lᵊ),
-ˈbä-kəl
 How to pronounce debacle (audio)
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

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

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 on the Web During the debacle, Murati joined more than 500 fellow OpenAI employees in threatening to quit if Altman was not brought back to the company. Clare Duffy, CNN, 25 Sep. 2024 For today’s reporters, the 1948 election debacle offers a clear warning about the fallibility of polls, which have underestimated Trump’s support among the white working class in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Rob Wells / Made By History, TIME, 25 Sep. 2024 The debacle drummed up buzz around Solondz, who became the focus of cultish press coverage. Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024 With more gambling cases likely, the Ohtani debacle is a lesson for the MLB. Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for debacle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debacle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of debacle was in 1802

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Dictionary Entries Near debacle

Cite this Entry

“Debacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debacle. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

debacle

noun
de·​ba·​cle
variants also débâcle
di-ˈbäk-əl How to pronounce debacle (audio)
-ˈbak-
: a great disaster or complete failure
the army's retreat was a debacle

More from Merriam-Webster on debacle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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