debrief
verb
de·brief
(ˌ)dē-ˈbrēf 
debriefed; debriefing; debriefs
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
: 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
Maria WilhelmExamples of debrief in a Sentence
Police debriefed the hostages upon their return.
The pilot was debriefed after his flight.
Recent Examples on the Web
In her exit interview, the cast member says, Dang apparently communicated something about her experience that sounded an alarm to a third-party psychologist hired by Kinetic to screen and debrief the cast.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 4 June 2024
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo, is rescued and debriefed by her employer, Weyland-Yutani.
—Maddie Garfinkle, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
Newmark is among many instructors around the country itching to get back into the classroom to debrief their students on the blur of textbook-worthy events that transpired this month.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 28 July 2024
After he was sent home on the July 19 episode, Rob, 25, flew to L.A. to debrief the hit season on Call Her Daddy with host Alex Cooper.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for debrief 
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 4 June 2024
Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo, is rescued and debriefed by her employer, Weyland-Yutani.
—Maddie Garfinkle, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
Newmark is among many instructors around the country itching to get back into the classroom to debrief their students on the blur of textbook-worthy events that transpired this month.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 28 July 2024
After he was sent home on the July 19 episode, Rob, 25, flew to L.A. to debrief the hit season on Call Her Daddy with host Alex Cooper.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for debrief
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debrief.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Debrief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debrief. Accessed 14 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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