debrief

verb

de·​brief (ˌ)dē-ˈbrēf 

debriefed; debriefing; debriefs

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: 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

Examples of debrief in a Sentence

Police debriefed the hostages upon their return.

The pilot was debriefed after his flight.

Recent Examples on the Web

For Morgan, making a video at the end of the day, debriefing all aspects of the long, grueling days of recruitment, was never going to be a polished piece of content. —Tabitha Parent, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Importantly, there was no significant difference in recovery between people who were debriefed and those who were not. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Leah, Serena, and JaNa go to Malibu Wines to debrief on recent events. —Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025

This happens when failure is debriefed, not buried. —Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 5 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for debrief

• belief
• broadleaf
• flyleaf
• khalif
• kharif
• longleaf
• massif
• motif
• relief
• saif
• serif
• beef

Kids 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